Opinion

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The PFAS Alternatives Act, seeking to ban “forever chemicals” from firefighters’ turnout gear

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While firefighting entails countless health risks, from smoke inhalation to injuries from collapsing buildings, a more obscure threat to this occupational group is toxic exposure. Burning structures release hundreds of harmful chemicals that firefighters inevitably breathe in, such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, and hydrogen cyanide.
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Federal judge appears skeptical of new border law

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A federal judge is expected to rule quickly on the constitutionality of a Texas law about to go into effect that institutes new state penalties for illegal border crossings. During a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge David Ezra said he had concerns that other states would follow Texas’ lead in creating their own immigration laws — a power given exclusively to the federal government under the U.S. Constitution.