You may have heard them by many names: forever chemicals, PFAS, toxins … they all fall under the technical terms per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. Called PFAS for short, these chemicals have earned the nickname forever chemicals because they are long-lasting, taking incredibly long times to break down. In the environment, like in soil or water, PFAS may never fully break down. More:

• PFAS 101: Everything You Need to Know About ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  EcoWatch

• Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), and Related Chemicals  –  American Cancer Society
• PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate or Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid)  –  Proposition 65
• PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective (Research abstract)
• Notification Level Recommendation for Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)  –  California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

• Where Does PFAS Pollution Come From? New Study Identifies Nearly 42,000 Potential Sources  –  EcoWatch
• Firefighting Foam and PFAS  –  Michigan PFAS Action Response Team
• 20 Million Acres of U.S. Cropland May Be Contaminated by PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  EcoWatch
• Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found in Mainstream Cosmetics  –  EcoWatch
• Toxic Forever Chemicals Found in Michigan Beef  –  EcoWatch

• High Amounts of a Toxic Forever Chemical Found in Bloodstreams of West Virginia County Residents  –  EcoWatch
• Forever Chemicals Found in U.S. Mothers’ Breast Milk  –  EcoWatch

• PFAS Chemicals: EDCs Contaminating Our Water and Food Supply  –  Endocrine Society
• PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer  –  US National Cancer Institute
• Environmental Pollutant, PFOA, Associated with Increased Risk of Kidney Cancer  –  US National Cancer Institute
• Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS (Research article)

• Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and female reproductive outcomes: PFAS elimination, endocrine-mediated effects, and disease (Research abstract)
• Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals and Male Reproductive Health-Do PFOA and PFOS Increase Risk for Male Infertility (Scientific review)
• Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their effects on the placenta, pregnancy and child development: A potential mechanistic role for placental peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) (Research abstract)
• Maternal Levels of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) during Early Pregnancy in Relation to Preeclampsia Subtypes and Biomarkers of Preeclampsia Risk (Research article)

• Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances during fetal life and hospitalization for infectious disease in childhood: A study among 1,503 children from the Odense Child Cohort (Research article)
• Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds (Research article)
• How chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19  –  The Conversation
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (Research article)

• Part 5: PFAS: How Do They Impact Ecosystems?  –  University of Rhode Island
• Are Forever Chemicals Harming Ocean Life  –  The Revelator
• Variation in perfluoroalkyl acids in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Research abstract)
• Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Seawater and Plankton from the Northwestern Atlantic Margin (Research abstract)

• Maine Becomes First U.S. State to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Products  –  EcoWatch
• States Take on PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ With Bans, Lawsuits  –  Stateline
• Companies Face Billions in Damages as PFAS Lawsuits Flood Courts  –  Bloomberg Law
• Litigation over 'forever chemicals' is growing: Is your company the next defendant?  –  Reuters

At long last, the EU has set limits for how much PFAS food sold within the union is allowed to contain. The limits came into force on January 1, and now it’s up to food producers, along with government agencies, to make sure they are not exceeded. More:

• Hungry for more: The EU limits “forever chemicals” in food – but the universal PFAS ban is still far away  –  ChemSec
• PFAS in food: EFSA assesses risks and sets tolerable intake  –  EFSA

The ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, according to a new UN assessment. More:

• 'Fantastic news': Ozone layer on track to recover within decades, UN reports  –  Euronews

• Ozone layer recovery is on track, due to success of Montreal Protocol  –  UN News
• Scientific-Assessment-of-Ozone-Depletion-2022-Executive-Summary (download PDF) (Report)  –  UNEP

• Historic ban on hairsprays helps ozone layer to heal  –  Euronews
• Climat: la couche d'ozone "en bonne voie" pour se reconstituer en quatre décennies, selon l'ONU  –  BFMTV
• Scientists predict the hole in the ozone layer will close in the next 50 years  –  Euronews
• Fixing the hole in the ozone layer was a success. How can we learn from it to cut carbon emissions?  –  Euronews

• Ozone pollution in a hotter future  –  Euronews

• All rainwater now contains lethal forever chemicals. But this rubbish tip may have found the answer  –  Euronews
• From rainwater to breast milk, forever chemicals are everywhere. Investors worth $8tn are fed up  –  Euronews

Environment Minister Shahab Uddin officially declared Bangladesh free from dangerous DDT pesticide. In 22 containers, the ministry with the help of other organisations safely shipped off the DDT between October 30 and December 10 last year. More:

• Bangladesh free from toxic DDT pesticide: minister  –  The Daily Star
• Bangladesh declared free from toxic DDT pesticide  –  Bangladesh Post

Investors from some of the world’s largest firms are pressuring chemical companies to end production of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, which shareholders say represent an enormous and growing threat to manufacturers’ bottom lines. More:

• Investors pressure top firms to halt production of toxic ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Guardian

• Going Out of Fashion (Report) (download PDF)  –  PIRG
• Retailers committing to phase out PFAS as a class in food packaging and products  –  Toxic-Free Future
• 2021 3M Annual Report (Report) (download PDF)  –  3M

• Companies Face Billions in Damages as PFAS Lawsuits Flood Courts  –  Bloomberg Law
• Investors with $8 trillion call for phase-out of dangerous “forever chemicals”  –  ChemSec
• Investors push world's top chemicals companies over hazardous substances  –  Reuters

Are you looking for the safest air fryer or air fryer ovens without PFAS coatings? Truth be told many of the highly-rated “favorite” air fryers on the market contain potentially toxic proprietary nonstick coatings, and/or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” More:

• Safest Air Fryers & Air Fryer Ovens Sans Toxic PFAS Coatings 2023  –  Mamavation

• PFAS Explained  –  US EPA

• Best & Worst Small Kitchen Appliances–Toxic Food Contact Materials  –  Mamavation
• The Best Non Toxic Toasters & Toaster Ovens Of 2022 (A Guidebook)  –  Mamavation
• Blenders With the Safest BPA-Free Food Contact Surfaces 2022  –  Mamavation

• Best & Worst Cookware & Bakeware 2022–Safest Non Toxic Brands  –  Mamavation
• Safest Cookware in Simple Terms–Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Ceramic, & Bakeware 2022  –  Mamavation
• Watch Out For Nano in “Non-Toxic” Stainless Steel Cookware in 2022  –  Mamavation
• Best & Worst Ceramic Cookware in 2020  –  Mamavation

• Best Non-Toxic Cupcake & Muffin Pans Sans Toxic Coatings  –  Mamavation
• Best Non-Toxic Waffle Maker Sans PFAS “Forever Chemicals” and Nano-Titanium  –  Mamavation

• Dangerous Chemicals in Food Packaging: Grocery Stores & PFAS  –  Mamavation
• Safest Non-Toxic Parchment Paper Without PFAS “Forever Chemicals”–Lab Reports  –  Mamavation
• Toxic Packaging: Are Fast Food Wrappers Hurting Your Family?  –  Mamavation
• 22 Surprising Fast Food Items That Won’t Poison You With Toxic PFAS “Forever Chemicals”  –  Mamavation

• PFAS Found in Organic Tomato Pasta Sauce — Purchasing Guide 2022  –  Mamavation
• Ketchup Ranked: Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Industry Wide  –  Mamavation
• Does In-N-Out Burger Contain Toxic PFAS? Lab Reports  –  Mamavation
• Is PFAS Found in Cooking Oils? — Non-Toxic Purchasing Guide 2022  –  Mamavation
• Nut Butters & Peanut Butter Sans Toxic PFAS “Forever Chemicals”– Purchasing Guide 2022  –  Mamavation

• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• Health effects of PFAS exposure  –  Food Packaging Forum
• CDC and ATSDR Award $7 Million to Begin Multi-Site PFAS Study  –  US CDC

• PFAS and cancer, a scoping review of the epidemiologic evidence (download PDF) (Research article)
• Nonstick Pan Chemicals Linked to Low Sperm Count and Small Penis Size Study Finds  –  Mamavation
• Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS (download PDF) (Research article)
• Endocrine-disrupting activity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Exploring combined approaches of ligand and structure based modeling (download PDF) (Research article)

• Maternal levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) during pregnancy and childhood allergy and asthma related outcomes and infections in the Norwegian Mother and Child (MoBa) cohort (download PDF) (Research article)
• Maternal Plasma Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Miscarriage: A Nested Case–Control Study in the Danish National Birth Cohort (download PDF) (Research article)
• Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Their Effects on the Placenta, Pregnancy, and Child Development: a Potential Mechanistic Role for Placental Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptors (PPARs) (Research abstract)

• Comparative analysis of the toxicological databases for 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (download PDF) (Research article)

• Best Collagen & Gelatin Without Lead 2022–Collagen Peptides  –  Mamavation
• Food-grade TiO2 impairs intestinal and systemic immune homeostasis, initiates preneoplastic lesions and promotes aberrant crypt development in the rat colon (download PDF) (Research article)
• Aluminum, a neurotoxin which affects diverse metabolic reactions (Research abstract)

Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists and a professor of environmental medicine and public health. Her work examines the impact of environmental exposures, including chemicals such as phthalates and Bisphenol A, on men’s and women’s reproductive health and the neurodevelopment of children. More:

• Endocrine Disruptors - Common Chemicals That Severely Alter Your Hormones - Dr. Shanna Swan  –  After Skool
• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of samples collected globally in the 20th and 21st centuries (download PDF) (Research article)

Between 2022 and 2027, the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) will implement the "Hazardous Waste Management Project" in Rwanda. “Currently, Rwanda is dumping 122 tonnes of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) oil in transformers, 250 tonnes of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soil, 3 tonnes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pesticides, 44 tonnes of non-persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pesticides, 35 tonnes of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 1 metric tonne of mercury (Hg), and 40 tonnes of mercury-containing products in the environment,” REMA says. More:

• Rwanda: State launches 5-year hazardous waste management project  –  Afrik 21
• Rwanda launches a five-year initiative to improve hazardous waste management  –  Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA)

The number of US service members who have been exposed to toxic “forever chemicals” is much higher than the military has claimed, a new independent analysis of Department of Defense data has found. More:

• US military ‘downplayed’ the number of soldiers exposed to ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Guardian

• More than 600,000 service members given ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water  –  Environmental Working Group
• Military PFAS Information and Resources  –  California State Water Resources Control Board
• Why most veterans are in poor health after military service  –  ELG Law
• Hazardous Non-Combat Exposures in the U.S. Department of Defense (Research article)

• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR

Manufacturing company 3M announced its intentions to cease manufacturing hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, alongside a vague commitment to “work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio” by the end of 2025. More:

• 3M announces it will cease making ‘forever chemical’ PFAS by 2026  –  Popular Science

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIH
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  –  US CDC

• Scared about ‘forever chemicals’ after watching Dark Waters? Here’s what you need to know.  –  Popular Science
• PFAS are toxic and they’re everywhere. Here’s how to stay away from them.  –  Popular Science
• Understanding PFAS in the Environment  –  US EPA

• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• Current Breast Milk PFAS Levels in the United States and Canada: After All This Time, Why Don’t We Know More? (download PDF)  –  (Research article)
• PFAS and Pets and Livestock Health  –  Michigan government

• Forever Litigated ‘Forever Chemicals': A Guide to PFAS in Courts  –  Bloomberger Law
• Creating ‘Forever Chemicals': A Guide to PFAS Companies (2)  –  Bloomberger Law

• The State of Minnesota's 3M PFAS Settlement Portal  –  Minnesota 3M PFAS Settlement
• 3M Faces More Costs After $581 Million Chemical-Cleanup Pact in Belgium  –  Bloomberg
• 3M Agrees to EPA Order to Sample and Provide Treatment for PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water near Cordova, IL Facility  –  US EPA

• 3M to Exit PFAS Manufacturing by the End of 2025  –  3M
• Manufacturing Giant 3M Says It Will Stop Making PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' by 2026  –  Gizmodo
• Why Environmentalists Are Criticizing 3M's New Pledge to Stop Manufacturing PFAS  –  Greenmatters

Grézieu-La-Varenne, a small town in southeastern France, has unexpectedly become part of an international environmental debate. After dangerous levels of pollution were uncovered, a criminal ‘ecocide’ investigation is underway, the first of its kind in the EU. More:

• The EU’s first ‘ecocide’ trial: toxic chemicals found in French homes  –  EuroNews

Obesity is on the rise almost everywhere, with more overweight and obese than underweight people, globally. According to accepted wisdom, blame lies squarely with overeating and insufficient exercise. A small group of researchers is challenging such ingrained assumptions, however, and shining a spotlight on the role of chemicals in our expanding waistlines. More:

• Are everyday chemicals contributing to global obesity?  –  Chemistry World

Obesity is on the rise almost everywhere, with more overweight and obese than underweight people, globally. According to accepted wisdom, blame lies squarely with overeating and insufficient exercise. A small group of researchers is challenging such ingrained assumptions, however, and shining a spotlight on the role of chemicals in our expanding waistlines. More:

• Are everyday chemicals contributing to global obesity?  –  Chemistry World

Bayer, the German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, will pay Oregon $698 million to end a lawsuit over PCB pollution associated with products made by Monsanto, the agriculture giant it now owns, the state’s attorney general announced. More:

• $698M deal to end Monsanto PCB pollution lawsuit in Oregon  –  AP News

• Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)  –  US EPA

• State of Oregon vs Monsanto - Complaint (download PDF)  –  State of Oregon
• State of Oregon vs Monsanto - Judgment (download PDF)  –  State of Oregon

• Managing and Mitigating the U.S. PCB Litigation Risk  –  Bayer Global
• Monsanto to pay $95M over PCB pollution in Washington state  –  AP News

We, the companies signing this letter, want to encourage the EU Commission to deliver an ambitious revision of REACH as soon as possible. This is absolutely necessary for a more efficient regulation, as well as better support for chemical substitution and non-toxic circular economy. More:

• A company request for an ambitious revision of REACH  –  ChemSec
• EU Commission, do you see the writing on the wall?  –  ChemSec

The bright blue shipping container stood out in the snow-covered landscape of Tablyn Park in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Inside, contractors calibrated a machine that state officials hope could help solve a decades-long pollution problem in the east metro area. More:

• Minnesota tries new technologies to remove 'forever chemicals' from water  –  Phys.org

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been deemed one of the most contaminated cetacean species in the world. However, concentrations and potential health implications of selected ‘contaminants of emerging concern’ (CECs) and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in endangered Southern Resident and threatened Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales in the Northeastern Pacific (NEP) have not yet been documented. More:

• Emerging Contaminants and New POPs (PFAS and HBCDD) in Endangered Southern Resident and Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): In Utero Maternal Transfer and Pollution Management Implications (Research article)

In the wake of this year’s global climate summit, advocates are raising the alarm about how industry continues to distort climate policy with public relations spin. More:

• Op-ed: What the pesticide industry doesn’t want you to know  –  EHN

• Pesticide use around world almost doubles since 1990, report finds  –  The Guardian
• Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally (download PDF) (Research article)
• Toxic-Hangover (download PDF) (Report)  –  Center for Biological Diversity

• Your Health  –  Friends of Earth
• Glyphosate: Cancer and other health concerns  –  U.S. Right to Know

• Pesticides & climate change: A vicious cycle  –  Pesticide Action Network

• EU plan to halve use of pesticides in ‘milestone’ legislation to restore ecosystems  –  The Guardian
• The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticides (download PDF) (Research article)

• Merchants of Poison: A case study in pesticide industry science denial on glyphosate (an excerpt)  –  U.S. Right to Know
• Merchants of poison (Report) (download PDF)  –  U.S. Right to Know
• Glyphosate, oncogenicity study in the mouse (Archive document) (download PDF)  –  US EPA

Continuing to use or produce the most problematic chemicals is associated with great risk – not only for human health and the environment, but also for company finances and the investors. More:

• Big Chem company: It’s a no-brainer to move away from the worst substances  –  ChemSec
• ChemScore Report 2022  –  ChemSec

As a chest surgeon who looks underneath the skin, inside people’s bodies, Dr Arvind Kumar has a unique perspective on life. But what he sees every day on the lungs of patients in his home country, India, is alarming. More:

• This is what air pollution is doing to teenagers’ lungs, according to a chest surgeon  –  World Economic Forum
• Air pollution  –  World Health Organization

• More than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day  –  World Health Organization
• Air pollution and child health: prescribing clean air (download PDF) (Report)  –  World Health Organization

• The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO  –  World Health Organization
• Estimation of stillbirths attributable to ambient fine particles in 137 countries (download PDF) (Research article)

• Children are dying from air pollution. Here's how we can protect them  –  World Economic Forum