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Cyber Security, Tennessee Riverkeeper Lawsuit, Drug Take Back Day

       

The subject of cyber security is taking center stage in Huntsville today. The University of Alabama at Huntsville is hosting a cyber security summit to raise awareness on different types of cyber threats. Joyce Vance is the United States district attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. She says it is important for people to report cyber threats or attacks they come in contact with.

“You know the one general concept that transcends the summit itself is how important it is for anyone who believes they have had a cyber-intrusion should reach out to myself and the U.S. attorney’s office, the FBI, to the secret service or to ICE.”

The keynote speakers at the event include John Carlin. He’s United States Department of Justice assistant attorney general for national security.

The Tennessee Riverkeeper is pressing ahead in its lawsuit against 3M, the City of Decatur, and other groups. The non-profit is going to court over alleged pollution in the Wheeler Reservoir.

The riverkeeper announced its intent to sue yesterday. The complaint is over perfluorinated** compounds, or PFCs. Those chemicals were used by 3M to make products like Teflon and Scotchgard. Recent investigations found high levels of PFCs in the groundwater near landfills, and also in the Wheeler Reservoir and Tennessee River.

David Whiteside is the executive director of the Tennessee Riverkeeper. He explains some of the health hazards associated with PFCs.

“The human health risks caused by exposure to low levels of PFOA, PFOS and related chemicals include cancer, immunotoxicity, thyroid disease and high cholesterol. There is no known environmental breakdown mechanism for these chemicals.”

3M says they’re already working hard to address the contamination in the Decatur area. They say despite high levels of PFC exposure to some of their workers, they haven’t seen any adverse health effects.

Attorney General Luther Strange again is urging Alabamians to participate in DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

This is the 10th DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back. There will be 89 collection sites scheduled to be available this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to combat the abuse or misuse of potentially dangerous medicines. They are also targeting drugs that have expired or are no longer needed.

Law enforcement officers will be present at sites throughout Alabama to receive prescription drugs for safe and proper disposal.  

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