Twenty-two sanitary pads, panty liners and incontinence pads have detectable levels of fluorine, an indicator of the group of chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new report from Mamavation. The environmental wellness blog and community had 46 pads products tested by a U.S.-Environmental-Protection-Agency-certified lab. More:

• Evidence of PFAS in sanitary and incontinence pads  –  EHN
• What are PFAS?  –  EHN

• Investigation: PFAS on our shelves and in our bodies  –  EHN
• Unintentional PFAS in products: A “jungle” of contamination  –  EHN

• PFAS -Forever Chemicals- in Sanitary Pads & Incontinence Pads-Report 2022  –  Mamavation
• Report: 65% of Period Underwear Likely Contaminated with PFAS  –  Mamavation
• Evidence of PFAS found in tampons — including organic brands  –  EHN

Potentially life-saving insecticidal malaria nets, designed to be biologically effective for at least 3 years, may stop working well after just 12 months, suggests research of their use in one East African country. More:

• Long-lasting insecticidal malaria nets' biological effectiveness may be short-lived  –  MedialXPress
• Long-lasting insecticidal nets provide protection against malaria for only a single year in Burundi (download PDF) (Research article)

Reductive water treatment using hydrated electrons is a promising technology to destruct perfluoroalkyl substances; however, it faces challenges of slow reaction kinetics, undesirable chemical addition, and high energy consumption. Researchers developed a hydrogen-polarized water photolysis system using vacuum UV (VUV) light at 185 nm for reductive destruction of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). More:

• Hydrogen-polarized vacuum ultraviolet photolysis system for enhanced destruction of perfluoroalkyl substances (Research article)

Investors with US$8 trillion under management and advice are calling on the world’s biggest chemical producers to phase out persistent chemicals as the annual ChemScore ranking, released today, shows the industry is doing little to halt an emerging global crisis. More:

• Investors with $8 trillion call for phase-out of dangerous “forever chemicals”  –  ChemSec
• ChemScore Report 2022  –  ChemScore

The Western Virginia Water Authority is spending millions of dollars on an advanced filter system to keep a dangerous “forever chemical” made by Chemours chemical company from fouling the drinking water it distributes to customers in the Roanoke area. More:

• Opinion/Editorial: PFAS denials leave polluters unccountable  –  The Daily Progress

From the 1930s through the 1990s, oil companies added lead to gasoline to make engines run smoother, forcing two generations to breathe leaded air. Older generations have five fewer IQ points on average because they grew up breathing those fumes, Duke University researchers reported in 2017. More:

• Tomlinson: Millennials and Gen Z are smarter than baby boomers thanks to chemical companies' mistake  –  Houston Chronicle

• Cautionary Tales – The inventor who almost ended the world  –  Tim Harford
• Pb or not Pb: the toxic question of leaded fuel  –  Chemistry World

• Green Chemistry and the Phaseout of Leaded Fuel (download PDF)  –  California State University
• Eliminating Lead Emissions From Small Aircraft Will Require Concerted Efforts Across the Aviation Sector, Says New Report  –  National academies
• As World Celebrates End of Leaded Petrol, Campaign Lessons Can Be Applied to Phasing Out Fossil Fuel – UNEP  –  Health Policy Watch

• The DDT Story  –  Pesticide Action Network
• The Deadly Dust: The Unhappy History Of DDT  –  American Heritage

• Asbestos  –  US Department of Labor
• New Data on Asbestos Indicate Cover-Up of Effects on Workers  –  The Washington Post

• Lead Exposure In Childhood Linked to Lower IQ, Lower Status  –  Duke Today
• Half of US population exposed to adverse lead levels in early childhood (Research article)

Downstream of a Chemours fluorochemical manufacturing plant on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, people living in Brunswick and New Hanover counties suffer from higher-than-normal rates of brain tumors, breast cancers and other forms of rare — and accelerated — diseases. More:

• Where did the PFAS in your blood come from? These computer models offer clues  –  EHN

• Source apportionment of serum PFASs in two highly exposed communities (Research article)
• Can profiles of poly- and Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in human serum provide information on major exposure sources? (Research article)

• Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ detected in commonly used insecticides in US, study finds  –  The Guardian
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in North American School Uniforms (Research article)
• Occupational Safety and Health: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• The Hidden Dangers in Firefighting Foam  –  U.S. Fire Administration
• Fluoropolymers in the Industry (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Chemours

• Serum Biomarkers of Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Relation to Serum Testosterone and Measures of Thyroid Function among Adults and Adolescents from NHANES 2011–2012 (Research article)

Limiting new sources of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can gradually lower your accumulated chemical load, aptly known as your body burden. PFAS compounds can linger in bodies for decades, with concentrations in blood plasma taking up to eight years to decline by half. Growing scientific evidence suggests that even low levels of PFAS can disrupt hormonal, immune and reproductive systems, and can increase the risk of various cancers. More:

• How you can reduce your PFAS body burden  –  The Maine Monitor

• Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up (download PDF)  –  National academies
• Public Health Statement: Perfluoroalkyls (download PDF)  –  US ATSDR
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  Maine Department of Environmental Protection
• PFAS-REACH Fact Sheets and Resources  –  PFAS Exchange

• PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate or Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid) (Factsheet)  –  Proposition65
• Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) (Factsheet)  –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• PFAS blood testing: What you need to know (download PDF)  –  PFAS-Reach
• Relation of Body Burden Measures to Ambient Exposures (Research abstract)
• Half-lives of PFOA, PFPeS, PFHxS, PFHpS and PFOS after end of exposure to contaminated drinking water (Research article)

• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA
• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and female reproductive outcomes: PFAS elimination, endocrine-mediated effects, and disease (Research article)
• Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS (Research article)

• PFAS in Public Water Systems  –  Maine DWP
• The need for affordable PFAS water testing  –  The Maine Monitor
• Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units, Water Filters  –  NSF International
• EWG’s water filter guide  –  EWG Tap Water Database

• Freshwater Fish Safe Eating Guidelines  –  Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
• Where can you find non-toxic tuna? The Toxic tuna study  –  Mamavation
• Perfluoroalkyl Substances in U.S. market basket fish and shellfish (Research article)
• Deer Consumption Advisory  –  Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

• Dangerous PFAS Chemicals Are in Your Food Packaging  –  Consumer Reports
• Is nonstick cookware safe?  –  Chicago Tribune

• How Well Do Product Labels Indicate the Presence of PFAS in Consumer Items Used by Children and Adolescents? (Research article)
• Tests find PFAS abundant in some dental floss  –  EHN
• PFAS-Free Products  –  PFAS Central
• Your guide to safer personal care products  –  EWG Skin Deep

• Understanding PFAS and Your Home Garden  –  University of Maine
• Step 8: Should I Eat Produce Grown in My Garden?  –  University of Maine
• Sludge in the Garden  –  Sierra Club
• Perfluoroalkyl Acid Distribution in Various Plant Compartments of Edible Crops Grown in Biosolids-Amended soils (download PDF) (Research article)

• PFAS in Fire Fighter Turnout Gear (download PDF)  –  IAFF
• Building a better world: Eliminating Unnecessary PFAS in Building Materials (download PDF) (Report)  –  Green Science Policy Institute
• A pilot study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in automotive lubricant oils from the United States (Research abstract)

At the end of Joy Road in Fairfield, a steep dead-end road climbs a hillside to a scattering of homes with distant mountain views and some of the higher concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) the state has found to date in groundwater. The neighbors here live under what one resident, Nathan Saunders, called the “cloud of an unknown future,” fearing how PFAS exposure may erode their health. More:

• Forever exposure, forever anxiety: Coping with the inescapable toxicity of PFAS  –  The Maine Monitor

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Extinguishing the Risk of Forever Chemicals: State of the science to protect first responders  –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• PFAS Analytic Tools  –  US EPA

• A Spreading Problem: How PFAS got into soils and food systems  –  The Maine Monitor
• Toxic water in Fairfield - Part one  –  Wabi5
• Toxic Water in Fairfield: Part two  –  Wabi5
• As hunting season ramps up, state officials broaden testing for ‘forever chemicals’ in fish and wildlife  –  CentralMaine.com

• Study identifies potentially harmful substances in household dust  –  Yale School of Public Health
• Prevalence and Implications of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Settled Dust (Research article)
• The Air That We Breathe: Neutral and Volatile PFAS in Indoor Air (Research abstract)
• Inhalation risks of wind-blown dust from biosolid-applied agricultural lands: Are they enriched with microplastics and PFAS? (Research abstract)
• Scientists say ‘forever chemicals’ may be contaminating 57,000 US sites  –  The Hill

• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Firefighter Textiles (Research abstract)
• Professional ski waxers' exposure to PFAS and aerosol concentrations in gas phase and different particle size fractions (Research abstract)
• Occupational Exposure to Airborne Perfluorinated Compounds during Professional Ski Waxing (Research abstract)

• Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls (download PDF) (Report)  –  US ATSDR
• Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research (Research article)
• Half-lives of PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA after end of exposure to contaminated drinking water (Research article)
• Evaluating the effects of living with contamination from the lens of trauma: a case study of fracking development in Alberta, Canada (Research article)

• Resolve, To Protect Consumers of Public Drinking Water (download PDF) (Legal document)  –  State of Maine
• Deer Consumption Advisory  –  Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
• The slow path to eliminating PFAS in firefighting foam  –  The Main Monitor
• USSS Announces Fluorinated Wax Policy for 2021/2022 Season  –  FasterSkier
• Stricter federal guidelines on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water pose challenges  –  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

• Managing PFAS in Maine (download PDF) (Report) –  Maine PFAS Task Force
• PFAS in Deer Harveseted in the Fairfield Area, Maine (download PDF) (Report)  –  Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife / Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) (download PDF) (Factsheet)  –  ITRC

• Real Estate Damage Economics: The Impact of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” on Real Estate Valuation (Research article)

The mining city of La Oroya, in western-central Peru is one of the most polluted places in the world.. According to the International Federation for Human Rights, 97 per cent of La Oroya children between six months and six years of age, and 98 per cent between age seven and 12, had elevated levels of lead in their blood in 2013. More:

• Health or survival? The impossible choice facing one Peruvian mining community  –  Euronews

Every year, insects like the cotton bollworm destroy more than 20 percent of the world’s crops. Farmers fight back by using pesticides, but some are harmful to our health, and many damage surrounding ecosystems. Clearly, more environmentally friendly approaches to pest control are needed, and there’s one solution that could be about to hit the big time: targeting these pests’ sex drives. More:

• To Ditch Pesticides, Scientists Are Hacking Insects’ Sex Signals  –  WIRED
• Insect pest management with sex pheromone precursors from engineered oilseed plants (Research article)

A new study finds exposure to the harmful class of chemicals known as phthalates poses particular risks for women. These substances lurk in many household items people use every day, including personal care products, clothing and more. More:

• Hiding in household products: Study links phthalates to uterine fibroids  –  EWG

• Pervasive phthalates: New study links child exposure to cancer  –  EWG
• Phthalates - The Everywhere Chemicals (download PDF)  –  Zero breast cancer
• Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate promotes uterine leiomyoma cell survival through tryptophan-kynurenine-AHR pathway activation (Research article)

• Six tips to avoid phthalates after study highlights health harms, billion-dollar costs  –  EWG
• Are the ingredients in your fragrance safe? (YouTube)  –  EWG
• Guide to Healthy Cleaning  –  EWG

The lungs’ immune defenses can wane with age, leaving older adults more susceptible to lung damage and severe bouts of respiratory infections. New research reveals one reason why this might happen: Inhaled particulate matter from pollution gunks up the works over time, weakening the lungs’ immune system. More:

• Pollution mucks up the lungs’ immune defenses over time  –  ScienceNews

• The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing  –  ScienceNews
• Inhaled particulate accumulation with age impairs immune function and architecture in human lung lymph nodes (Research article)
• Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015 (Research article)

The production of blue jeans, one of the most popular apparel items ever, has for decades left behind a trail of heavy consumption, diminishing Earth’s water and energy resources, causing pollution, and contributing to climate change. More:

• Blue jeans: An iconic fashion item that’s costing the planet dearly  –  Mongabay

• The True Costs of Cotton: Cotton Production and Water Insecurity (Download PDF) (Report) – Environmental Justice Foundation
• Cultivating distress: cotton, caste and farmer suicides in India (Research article)

• Toxic Threads: The Big Fashion Stitch-Up  –  Greenpeace International
• Destination Zero: Seven Years of Detoxing the Clothing Industry  –  Greenpeace International
• Roadmap to Zero: Paving the way for sustainable chemical management within the fashion industry  – Roadmap to Zero

• How denim fabrics are made (YouTube)  – Inspecta Biz
• The Sneaky Way Clothing Brands Hooked Men on Stretch Jeans  –  The Atlantic
• Early pre-Hispanic use of indigo blue in Peru (Research article)

In a new analysis, researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center, the University of Copenhagen, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, among others, found that sperm count globally dropped by more than half between 1973 and 2018, and that the decline is accelerating: Since 1972, sperm count has dropped by about 1% each year. Since 2000, the annual decrease has been, on average, more than 2.6%. More:

• A new analysis shows a “crisis” of male reproductive health  –  EHN
• WATCH: The latest evidence of widespread sperm count decline  –  EHN
• Count Down: The infertility crisis  –  EHN

• Semen quality in relation to biomarkers of pesticide exposure (Research article)
• How is BPA bad for my health?  –  EHN
• How your environment influences infertility  –  EHN
• 22 endocrinologists on what products they use in their homes  –  EHN

• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis of samples collected globally in the 20th and 21st centuries (Research article)
• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (Research article)
• Frequently asked questions on the new sperm count decline study  –  EHN

Non-stick cookware is often a kitchen favorite because food doesn’t stick to its surface—making it easy to whip up dinner without a huge cleaning hassle. The kitchen essential has grown in popularity since scientists created the first non-stick cooking pan in 1954, but the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge. The market demand for non-stick cookware reached 206.1 million units worldwide in 2020 and is expected to increase even more due to the growing preference for it. More:

• Why you should throw away your non-stick pan the second it cracks  –  Popular Science

• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet  –  US National Biomonitoring Program
• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIEHS
• Are Fluoropolymers Really of Low Concern for Human and Environmental Health and Separate from Other PFAS? (Research article)

• PFAS and Other Chemical Hazards in Nonstick Cooking and Baking Pans  –  Ecology Center
• Raman imaging for the identification of Teflon microplastics and nanoplastics released from non-stick cookware (Research article)

• PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective (Research abstract)
• Rare disease- Polymer fume fever (Research article)

• Use the Leidenfrost effect to make your stainless steel pan non-stick  –  Popular Science
• Making a stainless steel pan non-stick (Youtube)
• How to stop your frying pan from sticking - 5 Min hack! (Youtube)

A lawsuit filed by the state of California accuses 3M, Dupont and 16 smaller companies of covering up the harm caused to the environment and the public from chemicals manufactured by the firms that have over decades found their way into waterways and human bloodstreams. More:

• California sues over ‘forever chemicals’ that taint water  –  AP News
• ‘Forever chemicals’ found in groundwater near military bases  –  AP News
• ‘Forever chemicals’ in deer, fish challenge hunters, tourism  –  AP News
• FDA: Sampling finds toxic nonstick compounds in some food  –  AP News

After Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski and I published Our Stolen Future in 1996, we got "slapped" by one of the most prominent science journalists of the day, Gina Kolata writing for the New York Times. Among her criticisms was that one chemical can't cause a plethora of diseases. More:

• Reflecting on two decades of progress in environmental health and science communication  –  EHN
• 20 Years of Amplifying Science & Partnering for Health  –  Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE)
• Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)  –  Endocrine Society

The study, one of the first to investigate the decades-long consequences of lead poisoning, suggests countries could face an explosion of people seeking support for dementia as individuals who were exposed to high lead levels during early life progress into old age. More:

• Children exposed to lead may experience symptoms of dementia sooner – study  –  The Guardian
• Half of US adults were exposed to harmful lead levels as kids, study finds  –  The Guardian
• Childhood lead exposure is associated with lower cognitive functioning at older ages (Research article)

In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers from the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health presented a new tool that offers PFAS researchers a way to compare total exposures to PFAS across scientific studies. The tool may provide researchers a more effective method to study these persistent toxins. More:

• New PFAS exposure scoring method could speed research on health effects  –  The New Lede
• Developing an Exposure Burden Score for Chemical Mixtures Using Item Response Theory, with Applications to PFAS Mixtures (Research article)