The known extent of the contamination of U.S. communities with PFCs – highly fluorinated toxic chemicals, also known as PFASs,[*] that have been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, weakened immunity and other health problems – continues to expand with no end in sight. New research from EWG and Northeastern University in Boston details PFC pollution in tap water supplies for 15 million Americans in 27 states and from more than four dozen industrial and military sources from Maine to California. More:

• Mapping a contamination crisis - PFCs Pollute Tap Water–Environmental Working Group
• Toxic fluorinated chemicals in tap water and at industrial or military sites in the USA (Interactive map)

A study of the toxic perfluorinated chemicals found in water near U.S. military airports has measured drinking-water contamination at an undisclosed site at levels more than 100 times higher than a federal health advisory limit. Colorado School of Mines researchers also found that the carbon filters being installed by hard-hit communities — including Fountain and Widefield, south of Peterson Air Force Base — fail to fully remove the chemicals. More:

• Toxic firefighting chemicals can’t be removed from water using standard filters, Mines research shows–The Denver Post
• Mines researchers find newly discovered fluorinated chemicals more difficult to filter from water–Colorado School of Mines
• Sorption of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Relevant to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)-Impacted Groundwater by Biochars and Activated Carbon (Research article)
• Perfluorinated chemicals taint drinking water Linked to health problems, PFOA and PFOS leave a legacy that EPA is just starting to address–C&EN

Some chemicals can mimic hormones, and in doing so wrongly turn on or off important bodily processes. Hormones are like the managers of the body’s organs and other tissues. These chemicals order cells to switch on or off some particular activity. Sometimes industrial chemicals and pollutants can mimic these managers. When such imposters enter the body, they can alter when or how an organism develops, what it looks like — even whether it gets some disease. More:

• Explainer: What are endocrine disruptors?–Science News for Students

A research team at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) discovered that a common marine sponge hosts bacteria that produce toxic compounds that are nearly identical to man-made flame retardants. More:

• Bacteria in marine sponges produce flame retardant-like compounds–Environmental Factor
• Study Finds Bacteria Living in Marine Sponge Produce Toxic Flame Retardant-Like Compounds–Scripps Institutions of Oceanography
• Metagenomic discovery of polybrominated diphenyl ether biosynthesis by marine sponges (Research article)
• How sea sponges make toxic flame retardants–The San Diego Union Tribune

Last year, one of Britain’s last surviving killer whales was found dead on the shores of a Scottish island. The whale, known as Lulu, had died after becoming entangled in fishing lines, but subsequent tests revealed that her body contained one of the highest levels ever recorded of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), a toxic chemical that many countries have banned since the 1970s. More:

• Tackling a toxic legacy – UN environment
• Consolidated assessment of efforts made toward the elimination of polychlorinated biphenyls (UNEP report)

Our modern lives are drenched in chemicals, some of which can mimic hormones in our body's endocrine system. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancer rates are on the rise in humans, while sperm count and fertility are on a downward slide in some populations. What if chemical exposure was partly responsible for these trends?. More:

• Endocrine disrupting chemicals: Is your home making you sick? – ABC News Australia

Forty years ago, feline hyperthyroidism was virtually nonexistent. Now it’s an epidemic — and some scientists think a class of everyday chemicals might be to blame. More:

• The Mystery of theWasting House-Cats–The New York Times
• PBDE levels in cats may be associated to Feline Hyperthyroidism–MiSSE
• Higher PBDE Serum Concentrations May Be Associated with Feline Hyperthyroidism in Swedish Cats (Research article)

The animal, called Lulu, was found dead on the Isle of Tiree in Scotland last year after becoming entangled in fishing lines. But tests now reveal her body contained among the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, ever recorded. The levels of PCB contamination in Lulu were incredibly high, surprisingly so. They were 20 times higher than the safe level that we would expect for cetaceans to be able to manage. More:

• 'Shocking' levels of PCB chemicals in UK killer whale Lulu–BBC
• UK killer whale died with extreme levels of toxic pollutants–The Guardian
• Race is on to rid UK waters of PCBs after toxic pollutants found in killer whale–The Guardian
• Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)–US EPA

When you plunk an adult zebrafish into an unfamiliar tank, it will behave predictably: the small, striped, freshwater minnow freezes for up to a minute, slowly begins to explore the tank, and then, when it’s good and ready, swims around as if it’s been there the whole time. Yet adult zebrafish that were born in water contaminated by a common class of toxicants—polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs—have a much more hesitant reaction. More:

• Toxicant-Triggered Anxiety: Juvenile fish exposed to a common environmental toxicant show signs of anxiety–Hakai Magazine
• Delayed effects of developmental exposure to low levels of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on adult zebrafish behavior (Research article)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Toxicity–What Are Adverse Health Effects of PCB Exposure?–US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

A new global survey finds that recycling plastics containing toxic flame retardant chemicals found in electronic waste results in contamination of the world’s best-selling toy along with other children’s products. More:

• Recycling Contaminates Plastic Children’s Toys with Toxic Chemicals from Electronic Waste–IPEN
• POPs Recycling Contaminates Children's Toys with Toxic Flame Retardants (Report)
• Recycling contaminates children’s toys with toxic chemicals from electronic waste – Vanguard Nigeria

Certain man-made chemicals -- believed to be in the bloodstream of nearly every person on Earth thanks to heavy use in consumer manufactured products -- also build up in the brains, hearts, livers, bones and skin of mice according to a study published last week by researchers at the UAB School of Medicine and the University of Notre Dame. More:

• Cancer-linked chemicals build up in 'every organ' in mice, UAB researchers find–AL.com (Alabama)
• Radiosynthesis and Biological Distribution of 18F-Labeled Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (Research letter)

Organophosphate ester flame retardants travel long distances, one of the properties that led to the phase-out of their PBDE predecessors. For the first time, researchers have measured a new class of fire retardants in Arctic Ocean sediments, far from the compounds’ intended end uses in couch cushions and television sets. The findings add to growing evidence that organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPEs) might have many of the same properties that led to the phase-out of their predecessors, brominated flame retardants. More:

• Flame retardant replacements migrate to arctic sediment–C&EN
• Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in Ocean Sediments from the North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean (Research article)
• Organophosphorus Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in Airborne Particles over the Northern Pacific and Indian Ocean toward the Polar Regions: Evidence for Global Occurrence (Research article)

One attraction of fast foods is that they’re, well, convenient. They’re ready minutes after you hit the burger joint, taco stand or fried-chicken emporium. But another aspect of their convenience is less obvious: The paper or cardboard in which they’re wrapped tends to resist absorbing liquids, including fat. So the oils used to turn chicken wings and French fries golden brown don’t bleed through onto your hands or lap. What makes this possible, in many cases, is a class of potentially toxic, long-lived chemicals. More:

• Did your burger come with a side of non-degrading pollutants?–ScienceNews for Students
• Fluorinated Compounds in U.S. Fast Food Packaging (Research journal)
• Contamination, bioaccumulation and toxic effects of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the water environment: a review paper (Resarch article)
• How can PFAS affect people’s health?–US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Researchers sampled sediment from lakes Michigan, Ontario and Superior to track organophosphate esters, a group of chemicals that are used as flame retardants. All three locations showed that the concentration of one of them—TCPP—has increased rapidly since 2000. More:

• New flame retardant threat documented in Great Lakes–Great Lakes Echo)
• Organophosphate Esters in Sediment of the Great Lakes (Research article)

Today’s homes and offices are jam-packed with plastics, electronics, and furniture covered in flame-retardants. When they combust, they are extremely toxic. That means the smoke firefighters are exposed to is often loaded with a litany of septic chemicals—formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, chlorophenols, dioxins, trichloroethylene,  polychlorinated biphenyls, to name a few. Alone, any one of these may be harmful; mixed together they can make a potent cocktail of carcinogens. More:

• Why Cancer Is Killing Boston’s Firefighters–Boston magazine

March 2017 is particularly eventful with Geneva hosting many discussions aiming for a human rights-based approach towards better protection of the environment and of human health, which are also the common objectives of the BRS Conventions. Among these events, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) has opened its 34th session. More:

• ‘Detoxifying’ the future from hazardous chemicals and wastes: a child’s fundamental (human) right (BRS blog)
• The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO (News release)
• Don’t pollute my future! The impact of the environment on children’s health (WHO report)
• Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment (WHO report)
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes

Researchers have found a significant relationship between social behaviors among young children and their exposure to widely used flame retardants. The finding, contained in a pilot study, points to some chemicals in furniture, electronics and other goods to help prevent fires. As these chemicals, which are found throughout the built environment in furniture, mattresses, carpeting, electronics, vehicles and more, are added to the products and are not bound in the material, they are often released into indoor environments. More:

• Study links flame retardants to social behavior among young children–Xinhua news
• Flame retardant chemicals may affect social behavior in young children–Science Daily
• Cross-sectional study of social behaviors in preschool children and exposure to flame retardants (Research article)

A trend towards using plastic parts in electrical and electronic goods is causing a headache for the recycling industry. Brominated flame-retarding chemicals have been associated with lower mental, psychomotor and IQ development, poorer attention spans and decreases in memory and processing speed, according to the peer-reviewed study by the campaign group CHEM Trust. More:

• Warnings over children's health as recycled e-waste comes back as plastic toys–The Guardian
• No Brainer. The impact of chemicals on children’s brain development: a cause for concern and a need for action (Report)
• Toxic Toy or Toxic Waste. Recycling POPs into new products (Summary for decision-makers)

Exposure to polluted environments is associated with more than one in four deaths among children younger than 5, according to two World Health Organization reports. Worldwide, 1.7 million children's deaths are attributable to environmental hazards, such as exposure to contaminated water, indoor and outdoor pollution, and other unsanitary conditions, the reports found. Weaker immune systems make children's health more vulnerable to harmful effects of polluted environments. More:

• Exposure to pollution kills millions of children, WHO reports find–The Washington Post
• The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO–WHO News release
• Don’t pollute my future! The impact of the environment on children’s health (Report)
• Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment (Report)

A pair of long-lasting, man-made chemicals called PFOA and PFOS have generated controversy and lawsuits in recent years, worldwide and in Alabama, but a new peer-reviewed paper warns there are more than 3,000 replacement chemicals with similar chemical makeup used to make consumer products whose toxicology and potential health impacts are unknown. More:

• Substitute chemicals for cancer-linked PFCs may also be harmful, researchers warn–AL.com Alabama
• A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)? (Feature article)