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Showing posts from February, 2022

Toxic Chemicals Taint Metro Detroit Drinking Water

  Flint and Benton Harbor have become notorious for their toxic drinking water, but they aren’t the only Michigan communities with bad water. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), millions of people throughout Metro Detroit are innocently consuming contaminated tap water with toxins linked to cancer, brain damage, liver disease, reproductive issues, nervous system problems, and more. EWG is an independent nonprofit that advocates for a chemical-free world; the organization has been a pioneer in clean water, exposing the toxic truth throughout the United States. Through the past two years, 56 new contaminants have been found in drinking water, including PFAS, synthetic chemicals, pesticides, radioactive materials, and water disinfectant byproducts.   A searchable database on the EWG website analyzes water quality for every ZIP code throughout America. The database was compiled from tap water quality reports. EWG is adamant that the U.S. Environmental Protection Ag

Contaminated Water Detected by Smartphone Screens

  Billions of smartphones and tablets worldwide could be used to sense toxins in water and soil by way of the touchscreen technology used in everyday practice without any modifications. The report was published in the journal Sensors and Actuators B. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have successfully shown how a regular touchscreen can identify contaminants by dropping liquid samples on the screen. Since touchscreen sensitivity is comparable to lab-based equipment, it can be used in unsterilized environments. For now, this novel accomplishment is a proof of concept, but it can be expanded for various applications such as biosensing or medical diagnostics. Smartphones interpret electrical fields when a finger disrupts the electrical field running through a touchscreen. Dr. Ronan Daly from Cambridge's Institute of Manufacturing, who co-led the research, said, "We wanted to know if we could interact with the technology in a different way, without having to funda