WASHINGTON – The Environmental Working Group has identified more than 1,500 textile mills that may be releasing the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that are responsible for contaminating drinking water across the U.S. More:

• EWG: At least 1,500 U.S. textile mills likely dischargers of ‘forever chemicals’  –  EWG

• C8 Science Panel –  C8 Science Panel Website
• PFAS and Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity (Fact sheet)  –  EWG
• Study: PFAS Act Similar to Known Cancer-Causing Chemicals  –  EWG
• PFAS Chemicals Harm the Immune System, Decrease Response to Vaccines, New EWG Review Finds  –  EWG

• EWG: At least 1,500 U.S. textile mills likely dischargers of ‘forever chemicals’  –  EWG
• A Review of PFAS as a Chemical Class in the Textile Sector (Report)  –  NRDC
• Suspected industrial discharges of PFAS (Interactive map)  –  EWG
• How Michigan Reduced Industrial Discharges of PFAS  –  EWG

• Industry likely shirking EPA reporting requirements on ‘forever chemicals’  –  EWG
• Clean Water Act Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards and Water Quality Criteria for PFAS  –  US Amendment Rules House
• Landmark bipartisan PFAS Action Act passes House  –  EWG

The non-profit Toxic-Free Future found that almost three-quarters of 47 pieces of outdoor apparel, bedding, and kitchen linens that were marketed as stain- or water-resistant contain one or more per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. And many of these items contained specific PFAS banned in the European Union and no longer made in the U.S. due to their health effects. More:

• PFAS widespread in water- and stain-resistant outdoor clothes, home linens  –  EHN
• Toxic Convenience: The hidden costs of forever chemicals in stain- and water-resistant products (Report)  –  Toxic-Free Future

• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) –  U.S. National Toxicology Program
• Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Perfluorooctanoic Acid Administered in Feed to Sprague Dawley (Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD) Rats (Report)  –  U.S. NTP

• Investigation finds evidence of PFAS in workout and yoga pants  –  EHN
• Systematic determination of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in outdoor jackets (Research abstract)

So-called forever chemicals exceeded maximum levels in 74 separate water systems that provide drinking water to more than half a million people across New Jersey, according to an Inquirer analysis of new data released by the state. More:

• First-ever New Jersey data say PFAS in drinking water exceeded safe levels at water systems serving more than half a million people  –  The Philadelphia Inquirer

Toxic, long-lived chemicals have been found in freshwater otters in the UK. The findings point to “widespread pollution” of the country’s waterways with PFASs — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). More:

• Otters in the UK are heavily exposed to toxic ‘forever chemicals’  –  ZME Science
• Anthropogenic Drivers of Variation in Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales (Research article)

Risk of COPD increased among adults ages 40-74 ever exposed to pesticides on the job (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.28), reported Sara De Matteis, MD, PhD, MPH, of Imperial College London, and colleagues. More:

• On-the-Job Pesticide Exposure Increases Risk of COPD  –  MedPage Today
• Lifetime occupational exposures and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk in the UK Biobank cohort (Research abstract)

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s largest drinking water supplier discovered a toxic chemical in the river where it gets water for hundreds of thousands of customers, setting off a major search for polluters that led back to a Pennsylvania wastewater treatment plant and a South Jersey company. More:

• How a toxic chemical ended up in the drinking water supply for 13 million people  –  Politico
• Technical Fact Sheet – 1,4-Dioxane  –  US EPA
• Responding to Emerging Contaminants: 1,4-Dioxane  –  New Jersey DEP
• 1,4 Dioxane in the Delaware River  –  Delaware River Basin Commission

For Michelle Leahy, it started with headaches, inflamed rashes on her arms and legs, and blisters in her mouth.. Some students and staff at Sky Valley Education Center, an alternative public school in Monroe, also had strange symptoms: cognitive problems, skin cysts, girls as young as 6 suddenly hitting puberty. More:

• Toxic PCBs Festered at This Public School for Eight Years as Students and Teachers Grew Sicker  –  ProPublica
• DOE & DOH - PCB Chemical Action Plan  –  State of Washington
• Indoor Air Quality Assessment Report-Sky Valley Educational Center  –  PBS

A lack of information is an often overlooked but important cause of pollution exposure among low-income households or communities of color, according to University of Michigan researchers. More:

• Lack of information related to pollution exposure key issue for low-income households  –  Phys.org
• Racial, ethnic minorities and low-income groups in US exposed to higher levels of air pollution  –  Phys.org
• Inequality, information failures, and air pollution (Research abstract)

One in four pairs of popular leggings and yoga pants tested have detectable levels of fluorine, an indicator of toxic PFAS, according to a new report. Partnering with EHN.org, the environmental wellness blog and community Mamavation tested the activewear and found levels of fluorine ranging from 10 parts per million (ppm) up to 284 ppm in eight pairs of leggings and pants, out of 32 tested. More:

• Investigation finds evidence of PFAS in workout and yoga pants  –  EHN
• Product Investigations  –  MAMAVATION

• Non-Toxic Activewear Guide Forever Chemicals in Workout Leggings  –  MAMAVATION
• Talking to your doctor about exposure to PFAS (Fact Sheet)  –  ATSDR, NCEH
• Immunotoxicity and allergenic potential induced by topical application of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a murine model (Research article)

Widespread use of some disinfectants can cause environmental harms. For instance, chlorine-containing ones, such as bleach, can form dangerous by-products when they react with other molecules. Some other potentially greener disinfectants rely on a compound called phenol or its chemical lookalikes, but they can be costly and energy-intensive to make. More:

• A disinfectant made from sawdust mows down deadly microbes  –  ScienceNews
• Biosafety of human environments can be supported by effective use of renewable biomass (Research article)

Many thousands of human-made chemicals and synthetic pollutants are circulating throughout our world, with new ones entering production all the time — so many, in fact, that scientists now say we’ve crossed a critical threshold that heightens the risk of destabilizing the entire Earth operating system and posing a clear threat to humanity. More:

• We’ve breached Earth’s threshold for chemical pollution, study says  –  Mongabay
• Scientists say chemical pollution has now passed the safe limit for humanity  –  EuroNews
• We’ve breached the planetary boundary for chemical pollution, study says (YouTube)  –  Mongabay

• Planetary boundaries  –  Stockholm Resilience Centre
• The nine planetary boundaries  –  Stockholm Resilience Centre
• The nine boundaries humanity must respect to keep the planet habitable –  Mongabay

• Novel chemical entities: Are we sleepwalking through a planetary boundary?  –  Mongabay
• Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities (Research article)

• Chemicals for a sustainable future - Report of the EEA Scientific Committee Seminary  –  European Environment Agency
• Toward a Global Understanding of Chemical Pollution: A First Comprehensive Analysis of National and Regional Chemical Inventories (Research article)

People will go to all sorts of lengths to move towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Changing where and how they buy their clothes, cutting down on meat and dairy, and replacing trips in the car with journeys by foot. I’ve done all of those – but I’ve taken it further. More:

• Toxic reaction: how to clear dangerous pollutants out of your home  –  The Guardian
• Ranking supermarkets on pesticides - Supermarkets Pesticide Ranking  –  PAN UK

• PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ constantly cycle through ground, air and water, study finds  –  The Guardian
• 'Extraordinary' levels of pollutants found in 10km deep Mariana trench  –  The Guardian
• Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in the deepest ocean fauna (Research abstract)

Anew state law in New York bans the sale of televisions and other electronic displays that contain any intentionally added organohalogen flame retardant in their plastic enclosures or stands. More:

• New York bans televisions with organohalogen flame retardants  –  C&EN
• NY Governor Hochul Signs Groundbreaking Family and Fire Fighter Protection Act into Law  –  Clean&Healthy NY

The anti-fogging sprays and cloths many people use to prevent condensation on their eyeglasses when wearing a mask or face shield may contain high levels of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), a new Duke University-led study finds. More:

• High levels of PFAS found in anti-fogging sprays and cloths  –  Phys.org
• Characterization of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances Present in Commercial Anti-fog Products and Their In Vitro Adipogenic Activity (Research article)

Everyone’s home gets dusty, but is yours the same as house dust in China or the US? Researchers around the world have united to capture the world’s first trans-continental data on household dust. More:

• House dust from 35 countries reveals our global toxic contaminant exposure and health risk  –  The Conversation

• What is dust? And where does it all come from?  –  The Conversation
• We’re all ingesting microplastics at home, and these might be toxic for our health. Here are some tips to reduce your risk  –  The Conversation
• International Analysis of Sources and Human Health Risk Associated with Trace Metal Contaminants in Residential Indoor Dust (Research article)
• The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants (Research article)

More than 40 years ago, Congress banned harmful polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from schools. And it’s been 37 years since Congress directed schools to address asbestos. But today, millions of schools continue to be plagued by these and other toxic chemicals. More:

• Decades after Congress’ orders, toxics still contaminate millions of schools  –  EWG
• How exposure to pollution affects educational outcomes and inequality  –  Brookings

• Toxic PCBs linger in schools; EPA, lawmakers fail to act  –  AP News
• Schools & Playgrounds  –  Pesticide Action Network
• Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards (Report)  –  Center for Effective Government
• Identifying Greener Cleaning Products  –  US EPA

Hormones affect all of us, as they carry messages between different parts of the body. They make up the endocrine system, which impacts our reproductive health, metabolism, and a range of biological processes. A pervasive threat lurks in everything from cleaning products to cookware to fragrances: endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are a class of chemicals that interfere with normal hormone function. More:

• How to purge risky chemicals from your beauty products  –  Vox
• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet  –  US CDC

• Scientists Find Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in More Than 100 Popular Makeup Products –  Smithsonian Magazine

• Consumer product use in women of color –  Silent Spring Institute
• Hair products for Black women contain mix of hazardous ingredients –  Silent Spring Institute
• Benzophenone & Related Compounds –  Safe Cosmetics
• EWG Skin Deep® (Database)  –  EWG

• Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals EDCs –  Endocrine Society
• Endocrine Disruptors –  US NIH
• Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Risk of Breast Cancer (Research article)
• Associations between male reproductive health and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (Research article)
• Measurement of endocrine disrupting and asthma-associated chemicals in hair products used by Black women (Research article)
• Immunomodulatory effects of synthetic endocrine disrupting chemicals on the development and functions of human immune cells (Research article)

• "Trade Secret" Ingredients –  US FDA
• Testimony on Examining the Public Health Risks of Carcinogens in Consumer Products –  US Congress
• Schakowsky Announces The Safer Beauty Bill Package To Protect Consumers From Harmful Products In Cosmetics And Personal Care Products –  US Congress
• Senator. Kennedy blasts cosmetics makers, calls for more rules –  WWD

CoverGirl Cosmetics was sued in D.C. Superior Court based on false advertising and the presence of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. The complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court alleges that PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a toxic group of manufactured chemicals, were found in CoverGirl makeup products they sell to the public as “sustainable.” More:

• CoverGirl Sued For PFAS Forever Chemicals & False Advertising  –  Mamaviation

• Green Beauty Cosmetics Guide--PFAS Forever Chemicals & Makeup –  Mamaviation
• Best & Worst Organic Mattresses--The Wild West of Marketing Claims –  Mamaviation

• Talking to Your Doctor about Exposure to PFAS (Fact sheet)  –  US ATSDR

• Toxin Free USA Sues CoverGirl for Cosmetic Products Containing Toxic PFAS –  PR Newswire
• TFUSA v. Cover-Girl- Complaint –  GMO Free USA
• Safer Beauty Bill Package –  Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP)

More than seven years ago, a village resident launched a personal crusade to learn why there seemed to be a high rate of unusual cancers afflicting people in this small community. Michael Hickey, an insurance underwriter who grew up in Hoosick Falls, started his research after Isabel M. McGuire, a 48-year-old math teacher at Hoosick Falls High School, died from complications associated with melanoma. More:

• A man's crusade culminated with massive PFOA settlements  –  Times Union
• A danger that lurks below  –  Times Union
• $65 million settlement filed in Hoosick Falls PFOA water contamination  –  Times Union

For decades, the company once known as Monsanto has dominated U.S. agriculture. Famous for its Roundup Ready system—which consists of the herbicide Roundup, made with glyphosate, and seeds genetically modified to resist it—the company became the largest seller of seeds in the world by the 1990s. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and Bayer, the pharmaceutical company that bought Monsanto in 2018, now faces a number of high-profile lawsuits related to glyphosate’s cancer-causing potential as well as the failures of the Roundup system. More:

• ‘Seed Money’ Explores Monsanto’s Troubling Past and its Impact on the Future of Food  –  Civil Eats
• Dioxins and their effects on human health  –  WHO