Zusammenhänge zwischen „#BigTobacco“ und „#BigFood“ zeigt eine neue #Studie auf. Danach haben #Tabakkonzerne sich ab den 80ern vermehrt in #Lebensmittelkonzerne eingekauft und ihr Konzept des Abhängigmachens dort erfolgreich weitergeführt. Die Folgekosten trägt wie immer die Allgemeinheit.

#hyperpalatable #JunkFood #Addiction

https://science.orf.at/stories/3221145/

Link zur Originalveröffentlichung (englisch):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16332

#Chemical companies’ #PFAS payouts are huge – but the problem is even bigger

#3M, #DuPont, #Chemours and #Corteva have agreed settlement in the billions for #polluting drinking #water with ‘forever chemicals’

by Tom Perkins, Aug 3, 2023

"“When the chemical giant 3M agreed in early June to pay up to $12.5bn to settle a lawsuit over PFAS contamination in water systems across the nation, it was hailed by attorneys as 'the largest drinking water settlement in American history', and viewed as a significant win for the public in the battle against toxic 'forever chemicals'.

“A second June settlement with the PFAS manufacturers DuPont, Chemours and Corteva tallied a hefty $1.1bn. But while the sums are impressive on their face, they represent just a fraction of the estimated $400bn some estimate will be needed to clean and protect the nation’s drinking water. Orange county, California, alone put the cost of cleaning its system at $1bn.

“‘While over a billion dollars is real money, it is a virtual drop in the bucket of potential utility costs to monitor, remove and dispose of these contaminants in accordance with anticipated federal regulations,' the American Municipal Water Association trade group said in a statement.

“Moreover, the two settlements include just over 6,000 water systems nationwide. Utilities that were not part of the suits but have PFAS in their systems can claim some of the settlement money, or they can sue the chemical manufacturers on their own.

“That means the settlements only represent the first wave of utility lawsuits to hit #ChemicalManufacturers, legal observers say. Because PFAS are so widely used and the scale of their harm is so great, chemical makers will get hit from a range of legal angles, and some suspect the industry’s final bill could exceed the $200bn paid by #BigTobacco in the 1990s.

“The number will be 'very large', said Kevin McKie, an attorney with the Environmental Litigation Group who represented a water management company in the 3M case. Though the 3M settlement does not cover all the nation’s costs, it is a strong start, he added.

“‘A good settlement is one where both sides walk away a bit frustrated’ is the old saying,' McKie said. 'Of course I would have liked a bit more money but I do believe they got as much as they could at this time, and there’s a lot more to go.'

“PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds used to make products across dozens of industries resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to #cancer, #KidneyDisease, #liver conditions, #immune disorders, #BirthDefects and other health problems.

“The chemicals are thought to be contaminating drinking water for over 200 million Americans. Tens of thousands of contaminated #PrivateWells are not included in the settlement. The chemicals are also widely used in thousands of consumer products from #DentalFloss to #cookware to #clothing, and have been found to #contaminate #food, #soil and #air.

“PFAS constantly cycle and accumulate throughout the environment, and removing them from water is costly. The highly mobile chemicals can slip through most utilities’ filtration systems. Granular activated carbon and reverse osmosis are considered the best options.

“Leaders in Stuart, Florida, which was the bellwether case in the 3M settlement, chose to take what they could get without further litigation. Bellwethers are cases that represent all the other plaintiffs in a multi-district lawsuit. Stuart estimated damages at up to $120m, and the city acknowledged the settlement would fall short.

“‘I don’t think we’ll ever get close to that much net to the city, so I think there is no making us whole,' Stuart’s city manager told the New York Times.

“Among those utilities going at it alone is the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) near Wilmington, North Carolina, which sits on the #CapeFear River about 75 miles downstream from a Chemours PFAS manufacturing plant. It cost the utility about $46m to develop a granular activated carbon system to remove PFAS, and officials estimate an additional $5m in annual operational costs.

“The utility declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation, but in a late June op-ed, the CFPUA director Kenneth Waldrop explained the motivation for not joining the settlements: 'The information currently available suggests that the proposed settlement, when divided among thousands of other utilities with similar needs, would be insufficient to meet the needs of our community.'

“The utility has a 'strong case' against Chemours which has the reserves to cover the full cost, Waldrop added. There is generally support for that approach among Wilmington-area residents, said Emily Donovan, a public health advocate who lives in the region.

“‘This is not our fault, but it has been made our problem, and the community mostly understands what’s going on,' she said.

“The settlements also drew unlikely opponents in 22 state attorneys general who urged the judge to reject the 3M settlement because it 'does not adequately account for the pernicious damage that 3M has done in so many of our communities', said the California attorney general, Rob Bonta.

“Beyond water utility settlements, chemical makers face personal injury suits. Most US states will also probably sue over #contamination of #lakes, #rivers and other #NaturalResources #Minnesota alone found eliminating PFAS contamination from its wastewater could run to $28bn.

“Local water systems that are not made whole will need help from the federal government, which 'basically abandoned public water infrastructure a long time ago', said Oday Salim, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Clinic at the University of Michigan.

“‘Any amount of money that gets shifted to the victims is helpful,' he added.
“The government could implement an excise tax on PFAS to help cover costs, McKie said, and he noted the chemical manufacturers are taking a significant hit. By some estimates, 3M’s PFAS liabilities may soar to as much as $30bn as claims roll in.
“‘That’s a pretty big chunk of the total size of their corporation,' McKie said."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/03/chemical-companies-pfas-payouts-forever-chemicals

#EPA #EPAFail #PFOS #WaterIsLife #ToxicWaste #ChemicalIndustries #ForeverChemicals

Come on Australia, we can do this too.
We used to lead the world in anti-tobacco

#auspol #bigtobacco
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/01/canada-cigarette-health-warnings-tobacco-industry?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/07/philip-morris-making-deals-with-australian-pharmacies-to-supply-below-cost-vaping-products?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
More dirty tricks from #BigTobacco, preparing to make money as they kill another generation

I'm unsurprised by this, considering what they got up to in previous decades.

Lobbyists with links to Big Tobacco fund pro-vaping Facebook campaigns
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/18/lobbyists-with-links-to-big-tobacco-fund-pro-vaping-facebook-campaigns

#BigTobacco

I'm unsurprised by this, considering what they got up to in previous decades.

Lobbyists with links to Big Tobacco fund pro-vaping Facebook campaigns
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/18/lobbyists-with-links-to-big-tobacco-fund-pro-vaping-facebook-campaigns

#BigTobacco

"Lobbyists with links to Big Tobacco fund pro-vaping Facebook campaigns"

Or, 'Drug peddlers switch to new products in response to social pressures and market shifts'

#BigTobacco #vaping #DrugAddiction

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/18/lobbyists-with-links-to-big-tobacco-fund-pro-vaping-facebook-campaigns?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

In 🇦🇺 zeigt sich: nicht nur #BigTobacco ist die E-Dampfe ein Dorn im Auge sondern auch #BigPharma. Die ersten Geier stehen bereit:
"Medizinisch verschriebene E-Dampf-Produkte, die in großen Mengen über Apotheken vertrieben werden, wären für die Apotheken antizyklisch sinnvoll, da die Zahl der rezeptpflichtigen Produkte
sinken."

https://issues.pharmacydaily.com.au/2023/May23/pd010523.pdf

#ezigarette #edampfe #dampfen #rauchfrei #ecigs #vaping

En Australie, #BigTobacco fait des vapoteuses à usage unique en forme de...Stabilos, pour que les collegiens puissent les masquer des professeurs.

There are som bad actors (in industry) with a track record of using #BigTobacco playbooks to derail action or legislation through lies, misdirection, #ManufacturedDoubt. They should not have influence on the science and facts used to understand the problems and solutions.

"The #Propaganda Playbook: How the PR industry shifted from tobacco to fossil fuels

If #Canada managed to ban ads for #BigTobacco, why not for #BigOil?

by
#AnupriyaDasgupta

#cdnpoli #EnergyTransition

https://ricochet.media/en/3924/the-propaganda-playbook-how-the-pr-industry-shifted-from-tobacco-to-fossil-fuels

I find it amusing* that I can order all the nicotine lozenges I want online and have no problems with delivery, yet if I wanted a vape device or juice, I can't get it. I don't regret that I stopped vaping, but still.

*Also infuriating. #BigTobacco #Shenanigans

'Carcinogenic propaganda from right-wing losers': How the #GOPdeathCult is killing its own voters by hyping #BigTobacco
https://www.alternet.org/how-republicans-are-their-own-voters-with-pro-smoking-messages-journalist/#cxrecs_s Under McCarthy, smoking is allowed not just in members’ offices, but in public areas too Now more carcinogenic propaganda from right-wing losers. Fox’s #TuckerCarlson began preaching a return to smoking as a return to American values. Tobacco is so much more American than increasingly legal & available weed, he told his stoned-on-lies audience

https://open.substack.com/pub/sandrodemaio/p/vaping-time-to-tackle-scourge-harming?r=12w7y&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
#bigtobacco #vaping #PublicHealth

Been thinking about #vapes.

I wonder how many people who say they're #vaping to quit #smoking are actually using it as a cheaper substitute for #tobacco products? Does this send all our #PublicHealth success backwards?

More importantly, will further regulation have any effect on the black market? The argument that it will make it harder for children to get it, because licensed retailers won't sell to #children seems spurious, given that children have already established their own supply chains and know how to make their own devices.

How can govt stop #BigTobacco marketing to children? And tax the crap out of them, as with tobacco products?

I'm keen to hear people's thoughts and opinions.

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. It is a toxic group 1 carcinogen. The big lie repeated by #BigAlcohol claiming "benefits" of "moderate alcohol consumption" deserves to be buried in the same compost pile of #BigTobacco and their paid doctors endorsing "mild," cigarettes.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00317-6/fulltext

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. It is a toxic group 1 carcinogen. The big lie repeated by #BigAlcohol claiming "benefits" of "moderate alcohol consumption" deserves to be buried in the same compost pile of #BigTobacco and their paid doctors endorsing "mild," cigarettes.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00317-6/fulltext

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. It is a toxic group 1 carcinogen. The big lie repeated by #BigAlcohol claiming "benefits" of "moderate alcohol consumption" deserves to be buried in the same compost pile of #BigTobacco and their paid doctors endorsing "mild," cigarettes.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00317-6/fulltext

@Sheril Thanks for sharing this, just like #BigOil and #BigTobacco these people at #BigSugar have a LOT to answer for.

Wir haben Mikroplastik, das wahrscheinlich von Zigarettenfiltern stammt bis in die #Arktis zurückverfolgt. Filter sind nichts als ein Trick von #BigTobacco auf Kosten von Umwelt und Steuerzahlenden: Time to kick the habit!
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03825-5