In New Mexico, recent studies by the US Geological Survey and state environment officials have found cancer causing so-called forever chemicals in water sources.
As per the findings released by the federal agency on Wednesday (Apr 10), PFAs or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances were detected in major rivers across the arid state. However, the highest concentrations were found in downstream in urban areas.
Researchers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) started inspecting the water in New Mexico after contamination was discovered at military installations.
They found 10 times higher concentration of PFAs in the Rio Grande as it flows through Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, compared to its upstream locations.
Researchers also took dozens of samples from groundwater wells and surface water sites as part of an initial statewide survey between August 2020 and October 2021. However, the officials said that the majority of samples from wells did not turn up PFAs.
The latest findings surrounding forever chemicals and contamination will help regulators make decisions about protecting drinking water resources in the future, said Andy Jochems of the Environment Department’s water protection team.
Officials on Wednesday said they do not anticipate that the new regulation would require anything more than continued monitoring and reporting. This is because the utility that serves the Albuquerque area has not witnessed PFAS concentrations in the drinking water system approaching the EPA limits.
As per Kimberly Beisner, a USGS hydrologist and lead author of the studies, the change in concentrations could be due to wastewater discharges and stormwater run-off. Utility spokesperson David Morris said it’s possible that at some point there may need to be enhancements at the city’s sewage treatment plant.
This comes, as the US Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced its first-ever drinking water standard to protect people against toxic “forever chemicals” found in many household and everyday items.
In its first major move to curb the cancer-causing chemicals, the agency offered $1 billion to states for public water system testing.
The final rule is expected to impact around six and 10 per cent of the 66,000 public drinking water systems in the United States. Additionally, it will result in a significant decrease in exposure to the group of 15,000 chemicals known as PFAS for approximately 100 million individuals. It would help avoid tens of thousands of deaths that have been linked to PFAS, said the agency, as quoted by Reuters.
(With inputs from agencies)
Police are searching for a missing 10-month-old girl believed to have been kidnapped by the same person who fatally shot two women and critically wounded a 5-year-old girl in Clovis, New Mexico.
An Amber Alert was issued for the baby, Eleia Maria Torres, on Friday as cops sought the killer of Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen, both age 23 and from Texico, N.M.
Clovis Police Department
Amber Alert for Eleia Maria Torres. (Clovis Police Department)
A 911 call at about 4:30 p.m. Friday alerted police to the presence of the two bodies in Ned Houk Park, about five miles north of the 38,000-population city of Clovis. They found the two women dead of gunshot wounds and a 5-year-old child covered in blood, with a gunshot wound to the head. All of them were sprawled on the ground near a minivan. The girl was rushed to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, about 100 miles southeast.
Police also discovered an infant car seat inside the van, along with an infant stroller and a small baby bottle at the scene.
“Through interviews with family members, investigators learned Samantha Cisneros was the mother to the young female child found at the scene and was also the mother to a 10-month-old child, Eleia Maria Torres,” police said in a statement. “Investigators believe Eleia Maria Torres has been abducted by the perpetrator of this crime and is in immediate danger.”
Police described Eleia as 28 inches tall and weighing 23 pounds, with brown eyes and hair.
“There is currently no suspect in this incident,” New Mexico State Police said. “However, it is suspected the suspect was in a possible maroon Honda car, unknown model.”
With News Wire Services
New Mexico police issued an Amber Alert Sunday for missing a 10-month-old baby. The incident was part of a deadly shooting and suspects remain at large. Photo courtesy of Clovis Police Department.
May 5 (UPI) — Police in rural New Mexico continued to search for a missing 10-month-old girl Sunday after officials said the infant was abducted amid a mass shooting on Friday in the town of Clovis.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the missing child Eleia Maria Torres, on Friday, and it was still active as of Sunday morning.
Police in Clovis said the baby went missing when two women were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds. The dead women included the child’s mother. The relationship of the other woman was not immediately known.
The mother’s 5-year-old child was also shot and suffered a head injury. She was treated locally and then transported to a regional hospital in Lubbock, Texas, where officials said she is recovering.
“It is with a heavy heart that I stand before you today to address the tragic incident that unfolded at Ned Houk Park on Friday,” Deputy Chief of Clovis Police Trevor Thron said during an update Sunday, providing as many details as he could about on the missing infant and the suspect, or suspects, who remain at large.
The missing baby has brown eyes and brown hair, measures 28 inches tall and weighs 23 pounds, according to officials.
“Our hearts are with the victim and her family during this incredibly difficult time,” Thron said. “And we fervently hope for swift and complete recovery.”
Thron reported the suspect’s identity remains unknown as do the motives for the shootings. Thron said the suspect may have been in a maroon Honda. He said Sunday that investigators found a small piece of maroon debris at the scene but that “we cannot be certain if it was part of the incident.
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