Drinking water

Salvus Announces Licensing Agreement with Georgia Tech that Enables PFAS Detection

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

VALDOSTA, Ga., Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Salvus, LLC, a CJB Company, has entered into a licensing agreement with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) to gain access to PFAS sensing technology for use in the Salvus™ Detection Platform, the world's first handheld interferometric detector. Utilizing GTRC's sensing capabilities for PFAS, the term commonly used for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, enables Salvus to pursue development and commercialization efforts within industries where PFAS detection, remediation, and destruction are essential.

Key Points: 
  • VALDOSTA, Ga., Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Salvus, LLC, a CJB Company, has entered into a licensing agreement with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) to gain access to PFAS sensing technology for use in the Salvus™ Detection Platform, the world's first handheld interferometric detector.
  • Utilizing GTRC's sensing capabilities for PFAS, the term commonly used for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, enables Salvus to pursue development and commercialization efforts within industries where PFAS detection, remediation, and destruction are essential.
  • "This licensing agreement puts Salvus in a position to accelerate development and commercialization of PFAS detection on our rapid detection platform.
  • Years of research and testing have shown that the Salvus Detection Platform sets a higher standard for speed, limit of detection, and adaptability compared to other available detection tools.

‘We miners die a lot.’ Appalling conditions and poverty wages: the lives of cobalt miners in the DRC

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Estimates suggest that as many as 11,000 men and women work on the site, the majority of whom have no other means of deriving a livelihood.

Key Points: 
  • Estimates suggest that as many as 11,000 men and women work on the site, the majority of whom have no other means of deriving a livelihood.
  • Risking their lives, they tunnel deep into the red earth, excavating cobalt in shafts that descend as deep as 100 metres, and yet they receive almost none of the profits.
  • This story of labour exploitation and unequal exchange in Africa has become an all-too-familiar one to me.
  • I was eager to visit the site because I had heard many encouraging things about it.
  • Most artisanal mining sites are found in remote locations, remain unplanned and unregulated, and are subject to a host of social and environmental problems.
  • But at the same time, there has been much fanfare around the idea of organising artisanal miners into cooperatives, as a potential solution to this problem.
  • The team is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges.
  • There are people who come from Kasai, the Chinese who leave China to come here, Canadians who leave their country to come here.
  • It is very good.

‘The work we do is hard’

  • Many told me they only started mining because they wanted to create a better life for their kids.
  • It is easy to understand why a parent would tolerate hardship, injustice and risk, if it could help their children.
  • We only do this work because we don’t have the means to survive.
  • The work we do is hard because it’s a job you do all day long.
  • We only do this work because we don’t have the means to survive.

‘We miners die a lot’

  • Six miners were killed and the depth and design of the tunnels meant that the bodies could not be recovered.
  • And to be sure, all the miners I spoke to feared such a disaster could happen to them at any time.
  • Death and injury is common among artisanal miners, due to both tunnel collapses and working without personal protective equipment.
  • We miners die a lot.
  • We miners die a lot.

Toxic dust and birth defects

  • Further compounding the hazardous working conditions, cobalt dust is toxic, affecting all those working in mines, but also those in the wider community.
  • That research also found high concentrations of uranium in the urine of exposed children and miners.
  • A Lancet study found that pregnant women living in cobalt-mining communities have the highest levels ever reported of heavy metals in their blood.
  • The same study demonstrated a five-fold increase in risk of birth defects in babies born to fathers working in cobalt mines.
  • Alphonsine, eloquently described the horrific conditions that washers must endure:
    There are several problems in doing this work.
  • Recent comparisons of time-lapse satellite imagery over the past five years demonstrates the dramatic growth of cobalt mines in and around Kolwezi.

The invisible face of the cobalt rush

  • Hunting for the buried blue treasure – a key ingredient in the lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles that are vital to global efforts to combat climate change – artisanal miners like Ghislain have long been the invisible face of the cobalt rush.
  • The Congolese cobalt rush fuels a multi-billion-dollar industry for international mining companies and buying agents – often from China – that have moved into the country.
  • Southern Congo sits upon 3.4 million tons of cobalt, an estimated two thirds of the world’s known supply.
  • Alphonsine told me that she didn’t know what happened to the cobalt she washed, after it left the site.
  • Instead of buying well so that we too can win, they buy the products maliciously.
  • As the world transitions to electric vehicles, competition over supplies of cobalt continues to intensify, with global demand set to increase up to eight-fold by 2040.
  • Against this backdrop, the OECD estimates that there are more than 200,000 creuseurs, often labouring alongside large-scale industrial operations, who extract up to 30% of Congo’s cobalt.

Child labour

  • Such claims have provided fertile ground for a high-profile legal case against the world’s largest tech companies, launched in December 2019 by Congolese families, over deaths and serious injuries sustained by child labourers in cobalt mines.
  • In October 2022, the US Department of Labour added lithium-ion batteries to its list of goods produced by child labour.

No such thing as ‘clean cobalt’

  • Profit margins are much higher when it’s possible to purchase cobalt that is extracted under slave-like conditions.
  • And the reality is that cobalt unearthed by creuseurs is bought by agents and processed alongside cobalt from large-scale mines, with over 80% of it then being refined in China.
  • As things stand, there is no such thing as “clean cobalt”.

Plausible deniability


While the negative impacts of the cobalt boom may be increasingly visible and have now become impossible to ignore, industry is not held accountable, partially because it has found new ways to hide its exploitative business practices.

  • Complexity in the supply chain helps big corporations to demand profit-boosting efficiencies at arms’ length, giving them plausible deniability for the consequences of their actions.
  • These companies also have become adept at spinning their purported efforts to improve conditions.
  • Look at their websites and you’ll probably see a massive section devoted to sustainability and community-building.


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To hear about new Insights articles, join the hundreds of thousands of people who value The Conversation’s evidence-based news. Subscribe to our newsletter.
For this research, Roy Maconachie received funding from the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF), the Bath Research in Development (BRID) Fund, and the Bath Impact Fund.

NexTrend Launches Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The system is aimed at meeting the rising demand for safe drinking water across the planet

Key Points: 
  • New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 23, 2024) - NexTrend, a company in the water purification industry, has launched its latest product: the NexTrend Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System.
  • The product release was in response to the critical need for safe and clean drinking water, given rising reports of water contamination in both the developed and developing world leading to health problems.
  • The NexTrend RO Water Filter has undergone rigorous certification and has the NSF/ANSI 58 and 372 endorsements.
  • To ensure the highest water quality standards our team worked diligently to engineer the NexTrend reverse osmosis water filtration system RO Water Filter that ensures clean drinking water for families that take care of their health very seriously."

InventHelp Inventor Develops New Hydration Vest (ALU-100)

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 24, 2024

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “I wanted to create an innovative and hands-free way to carry and drink water,” said an inventor, from Macon, Ga., “so I invented the WATER VEST.

Key Points: 
  • PITTSBURGH, Jan. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “I wanted to create an innovative and hands-free way to carry and drink water,” said an inventor, from Macon, Ga., “so I invented the WATER VEST.
  • My design ensures that water is kept in a convenient and readily accessible location to help keep the user hydrated.”
    The invention provides an improved vest for drinking water.
  • The original design was submitted to the Atlanta sales office of InventHelp.
  • 22-ALU-100, InventHelp, 100 Beecham Drive, Suite 110, Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9801, or call (412) 288-1300 ext.

Critical Infrastructure Protection Market Report 2024-2034 - Revenue Surpassed US$140 Billion in 2023, with Strong Revenue Growth through to 2034 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 29, 2024

Revenue for the Critical Infrastructure Protection Market, in terms of value surpassed US$140 billion in 2023, with strong revenue growth through to 2034.

Key Points: 
  • Revenue for the Critical Infrastructure Protection Market, in terms of value surpassed US$140 billion in 2023, with strong revenue growth through to 2034.
  • Although it has rapidly developed, Asia and the Pacific's developing nations' infrastructure still falls well short of what is needed.
  • Critical infrastructure protection often requires cutting-edge technology, including advanced sensors, surveillance systems, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and communication networks.
  • In addition to revenue forecasting to 2034, this new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares.

Illinois American Water Files Rate Request Driven by $557 Million in Future Investments

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 25, 2024

Illinois American Water filed a rate request today with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reflecting $557 million in water and wastewater system investments to be made through 2025 to continue providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable service.

Key Points: 
  • Illinois American Water filed a rate request today with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reflecting $557 million in water and wastewater system investments to be made through 2025 to continue providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable service.
  • The request reinforces the company’s commitment to investing in its water and wastewater systems to replace aging infrastructure, provide reliable service, enhance water quality and comply with environmental regulations.
  • “By making prudent, ongoing investments, Illinois American Water is committed to protecting public health and safety in the communities we serve.
  • Illinois American Water offers customer assistance through its H2O Help to Others program, payment plans and budget billing.

Tanzania Construction Market Size, Trends and Forecasts 2023-2027 - 5.8% Expansion Forecast in 2024, with Annual Average Growth of 7.9% During 2025-2027 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The "Tanzania Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis, 2023-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Key Points: 
  • The "Tanzania Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis, 2023-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
  • Additionally, the government's focus on improving its business environment and attracting foreign investments towards the country is likely to support the industry's growth over the coming years.
  • Out of all the projects registered, the domestic investments in the country accounted for 62% and foreign investments accounted for 38%.
  • Historical (2018-2022) and forecast (2023-2027) valuations of the construction industry in Tanzania, featuring details of key growth drivers.

Napoli Shkolnik 2023 In Review: Law Firm Reaches Groundbreaking Victories for Victims of Water Contamination; Important Litigation Filed in Insulin Pricing Scheme, Air Pollution, and More

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 24, 2024

National law firm Napoli Shkolnik has concluded another successful year of landmark settlements and significant legal action in the areas of environmental litigation, mass tort, and human rights.

Key Points: 
  • National law firm Napoli Shkolnik has concluded another successful year of landmark settlements and significant legal action in the areas of environmental litigation, mass tort, and human rights.
  • Among the firm’s accomplishments of 2023 were significant breakthroughs in the ongoing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against manufacturers of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).
  • The funds will go to cities, towns and other public water providers over a 13-year period to test for and treat PFAS contamination.
  • The program’s rigorous and enriching curriculum is designed to continue Napoli Shkolnik’s legacy of delivering justice for their clients.

Baron & Budd Environmental Practice Named to Law360’s 2024 Practice Group of the Year

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 22, 2024

Today, the nationally recognized law firm Baron & Budd is pleased to announce that the firm’s Environmental Litigation Group (ELG) has been named for the second time to Law360’s Practice Group of the Year.

Key Points: 
  • Today, the nationally recognized law firm Baron & Budd is pleased to announce that the firm’s Environmental Litigation Group (ELG) has been named for the second time to Law360’s Practice Group of the Year.
  • The award honors law firms with significant litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry in the past year.
  • The environmental practice was recognized for several historic achievements including a record $12.5 billion nationwide class settlement with 3M, the largest drinking water contamination settlement in U.S. history.
  • “On behalf of everyone who works in the Environmental Litigation Group, we are honored to be recognized by Law360 for our unwavering commitment to justice in environmental matters,” said Baron & Budd shareholder and leader and founder of the Environmental Litigation Group, Scott Summy .

AECOM® joint venture to support delivery of the Kensico – Eastview Connection project

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 22, 2024

AECOM® (NYSE: ACM), the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, today announced that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has selected an AECOM joint venture to provide inspection services for the Kensico – Eastview Connection project.

Key Points: 
  • AECOM® (NYSE: ACM), the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, today announced that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has selected an AECOM joint venture to provide inspection services for the Kensico – Eastview Connection project.
  • In this role, the joint venture will oversee the delivery of the Kensico Third Conveyance Tunnel, which will supply water from the Kensico Reservoir to the Catskill-Delaware Ultra Violet (CDUV) Disinfection Facility in Eastview, New York.
  • The third team will stabilize the shoreline during delivery and provide wetlands mitigation adjacent to the Kensico Reservoir.
  • With the connection to the Eastview UV Facility through an additional hydraulic link, the New York City water supply system will be better protected should the Delaware Aqueduct become unavailable.