#soilislife — Public Fediverse posts

No surprise. #ChelliePingree voted against HR556, #JaredGolden voted for it.

Protect #Wildlife from Toxic #LeadAmmunition [and #FishingTackle]

"#HR556, a bill to prevent federal agencies from prohibiting or regulating the use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle on certain public lands and waters, passed the House of Representatives on March 18. However, we are not done fighting this bill! Lead ammunition is a well-documented threat, leading to illness and death for millions of birds and other wild animals each year. Since there is no safe level for lead exposure, hunters, anglers, and their families can also be harmed. Please contact your US representative about their vote on H.R. 556 and urge your senators to oppose this bill."

https://awionline.org/action-center#/535

Bill Status and details:

H.R.556 — 119th Congress (2025-2026)

Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025

"This bill bars the Fish and Wildlife Service (#FWS), the Bureau of Land Management (#BLM), and the Forest Service from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water. The bill makes exceptions for specified existing regulations and where the FWS, the BLM, or the Forest Service determines that a decline in wildlife population at the specific unit of federal land or water is primarily caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle, based on the field data from such unit, and the state approves the regulations."

House Roll Call Vote 93 119th Congress - 2nd Session (2026)

Passed - Yea: 215 | Nay: 202
(R 208-1 Pres=0 NV=9, D 7-201 Pres=0 NV=6, I 0-0 Pres=0 NV=0)

Full voting roster:
https://www.congress.gov/votes/house/119-2/93

#USPol #MainePol #ProtectWildlife #ProtectNature #LeadPoisoning #WaterIsLife #SoilIsLife #NatureIsLife

Hey, as I do love soil animals and critters, I did support an artist who draws very nice pictures of the vast variety of #SoilBiodiversity (mainly #SoilFauna). Stickers for the kids 🤩

If you love #soil too, give it a try and support Svenja Meyer (https://bsky.app/profile/fminifera.bsky.social) and check out her store at https://smartwork.bigcartel.com/

#SoilIsLife #SoilIsAlive

The smoke from #Canada’s #wildfires may be even more #toxic than usual

A legacy of #mining means that #ToxicMetals could be carried along plumes of smoke.

by Matt Simon, June 5, 2025

"More than 200 wildfires are blazing across central and western Canada, half of which are out of control because they’re so hard for crews to access, forcing 27,000 people to evacuate. Even those nowhere near the wildfires are suffering as smoke swirls around Canada and wafts south, creating hazardous air quality all over the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States. The smoke is even reaching Europe.

"As the climate changes, the far north is drying and warming, which means wildfires are getting bigger and more intense. The area burned in Canada is now the second largest on record for this time of year, trailing behind the brutal wildfire season of 2023. That year, the amount of #carbon blazed into the atmosphere was about three times the country’s #FossilFuel emissions. And the more carbon that’s emitted from wildfires — in Canada and elsewhere — the faster the #PlanetaryWarming, and the worse the fires.

" 'There’s obviously the #ClimateFeedback concern,' said Mike Waddington, an environmental scientist at McMaster University in Ontario who studies Canada’s forests. 'But increasingly we’re also concerned about the smoke.'

"That’s because there’s much more to wildfire smoke than charred sticks and leaves, especially where these blazes are burning in Canada. The country’s #forests have long been #mined, operations that loaded #soils and #waterways with #ToxicMetals like #lead and #mercury, especially before clean-air standards kicked in 50 years ago. Now everyone downwind of these wildfires may have to contend with that legacy and those pollutants, in addition to all the other nasties inherent in #WildfireSmoke, which are known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiac problems.

" 'You have there the burning of these organic soils resulting in a lot of carbon and a lot of #ParticulateMatter,' said Waddington. 'Now you have this triple whammy, where you have the metals #remobilized in addition to that.'

"What exactly is lurking in the smoke from Canadian wildfires will require further testing by scientists. But an area of particular concern is around the mining city of #FlinFlon, in #ManitobaCanada, which is known to have elevated levels of toxic metals in the landscape, said Colin McCarter, an environmental scientist who studies pollutants at Ontario’s #NipissingUniversity. Flin Flon’s 5,000 residents have been evacuated as a wildfire approaches, though so far no structures have been destroyed.

"But a fire doesn’t need to directly burn mining operations to mobilize toxicants. For example, in #Yellowknife, in Canada’s #NorthwestTerritories, #GoldMining operations between 1934 and 2004 spread #arsenic as far as 18 miles away, adding to a landscape with an already high concentration of naturally occurring arsenic. In a paper published last year, Waddington and McCarter estimated that between 1972 and 2023, wildfires around Yellowknife fired up to 840,000 pounds of arsenic into the atmosphere. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and developmental problems, according to the World Health Organization. (After the 2023 #LahainaFire in Maui, officials reported elevated levels of arsenic, lead, and other toxic substances in ash samples. California officials also found lots of lead in smoke from 2018’s #CampFire.)"

Source:
https://grist.org/climate/canada-wildfire-smoke-toxic-arsenic/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#WaterIsLife #SoilIsLife #AirIsLife #Mining #ToxicLegacy #FirstNations #Canada #Pollution #Worldwide #AQI #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #AirQualityIndex

How Soaring E-Waste Pollution Is Putting Lives at Risk

by April Miller
Mar 3rd 2022

The Growing Amount of E Waste Pollution

"The proper disposal of electronics is a heated topic in the minds of those looking to live more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint. As more devices come out each year, it only adds to the amount of e-waste generated. Consider how #Apple, #Huawei, #Samsung, #Google and other companies release several new phone models annually. Older models then become #obsolete and must be disposed of properly.

"Statista reports that the amount of e-waste generated worldwide was around 54 million metric tons in 2019. Due to increased spending power and the wide availability of electronics, e-waste is becoming the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide. It’s estimated that generation will increase by 30% by 2030.

"These figures make sense, considering how common it is for people to throw away small electronic devices along with their other trash. However, most are not aware of opportunities to recycle electronics, what environmental impact they’re making by throwing away e-waste or how much cash they can earn by selling it.

How E Waste Harms the #Environment and Our #Health

"Why is e-waste becoming a more prevalent issue worldwide? #ElectronicWaste poses unique ecological concerns. Most e-waste contains #HazardousChemicals, and the manufacturing processes may also harm the #environment.

"When e-waste ends up in a #landfill, the surrounding #soil can become #contaminated with #toxic substances such as #mercury, #cadmium, #beryllium and #lead. These chemicals enter the soil, waterways and air, leading to polluted environments and negatively impacting human and #marine life.

"Consider people who use natural wells or the animals who rely on bodies of water. They could be exposed to toxic chemicals that can impact their health.

"It’s also important to note that when high volumes of e-waste enter landfills, device manufacturers must mine more materials to build new devices. #Phones and other #electronics contain small amounts of valuable metals like #gold, #silver and #palladium, among other critical components. These materials are becoming harder to mine, especially with the increased demand for more electronic devices.

How E Waste Contributes to #Air Pollution

One journal from Environmental Research Letters reported that researchers took air samples from a large e-waste disposal site in #China and found that the products in these landfills harmed human #lung cells.

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), these are some adverse health effects caused by exposure to e-waste:

- Negative birth outcomes for expecting mothers, such as #stillbirth or #premature birth
- Increased rates of #ADHD in young children
- Changes in lung function
- #DNA damage
- Respiratory issues
- Impaired thyroid function
- Increased risk of chronic diseases like #cancer and #cardiovascular disease

"Additionally, the WHO reports that appropriate collection and #recycling of e-waste can help protect the environment and human health.

"Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) found that 17.4% of e-waste that was collected appropriately prevented as much as 15 million tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. High levels of carbon dioxide entering the environment and therefore contributing to global warming make it clear that e-waste is a much larger issue than some believe it to be. It may seem easy to toss away old electronics in the trash, but doing so negatively affects the environment and can harm human health.

Recycling Electronics to Benefit Humans and the Environment

"More state and federal action is needed to reduce the negative impact e-waste has on humans and the environment. So far, around 25 US states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to establish an e-waste recycling programme. Additionally, several manufacturers offer some type of electronic return initiative, with some hosting or sponsoring recycling events for consumers.

"Many manufacturers have adopted more #sustainable business practices to prevent outdated devices from entering landfills. However, this can be challenging, considering how often users want to upgrade to the latest technology due to new features and designs.

Republicans and Democrats are pursuing laws that would make it easier for consumers to repair their devices, from vehicles to refrigerators to smartphones. This movement is being coined as the Right to Repair movement. Manufacturers often make it difficult for consumers to fix a wide range of products by limiting the availability of parts or limiting who can perform repairs.

The goal of the movement is to prohibit manufacturers from taking these measures. This can directly reduce the amount of e-waste entering landfills in the first place. Consumers would then be able to repair devices themselves, save money and avoid tossing obsolete products in the trash.

E-waste is a growing problem worldwide, and more emphasis should be put on the importance of recycling electronics. The benefits of recycling far outweigh the drawbacks. Governments, consumers and manufacturers need to find viable solutions to this prevalent issue. Whether it’s contaminated soil entering waterways or toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere, more work needs to be done to mitigate the negative effects e-waste causes."

https://earth.org/e-waste-pollution/

#ElectronicWaste #SupportLegacyProducts #Windows11 #Consumerism #Capitalism #Crapitalism
#PlannedObsolescence
#Landfills #RightToRepair #EnvironmentalRacism #WaterIsLife #SoilIsLife #RightToRepair
#RepairReuseRecycle
#Consumerism
#Anticonsumerism #EnvironmentalPollution