Researchers used data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Forecaster, or ToxCast, to assess the health hazards of the most common chemicals added to food, as well as the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, which can migrate to food from packaging. More:

• Study: Preservative Used in Pop-Tarts and Hundreds of Popular Foods May Harm the Immune System  –  Environmental Working Group
• Investigating Molecular Mechanisms of Immunotoxicity and the Utility of ToxCast for Immunotoxicity Screening of Chemicals Added to Food (Research article)
• List of Processed Foods With The Preservative TBHQ  –  Environmental Working Group

• Many Fast Food Wrappers Still Coated in PFCs, Kin to Carcinogenic Teflon Chemical  –  Environmental Working Group

• PFAS Chemicals Harm the Immune System, Decrease Response to Vaccines, New EWG Review Finds  –  Environmental Working Group
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (Research article)

• Food additive may influence how well flu vaccines work  –  Michigan State University
• Research links TBHQ to allergies  –  Food Business News

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued a warning after PFAS chemicals were found in rainbow smelt collected in 2019 from Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands. Adults should not eat more than one 8-ounce serving of Lake Superior smelt per month, and children shouldn’t eat more than one 4-ounce serving per month, the state says. More:

• Michigan warns of PFAS levels in Lake Superior rainbow smelt  –  mlive.com
• New Smelt Consumption Advisory for Lake Superior  –  Wisconsin DNR
• Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in edible fish species from Charleston Harbor and tributaries, South Carolina, United States: Exposure and risk assessment (Research article)

Scientists have detected 109 chemicals in a study of pregnant women, including 55 chemicals never before reported in people and 42 "mystery chemicals," whose sources and uses are unknown. The chemicals most likely come from consumer products or other industrial sources. They were found both in the blood of pregnant women, as well as their newborn children, suggesting they are traveling through the mother's placenta. More:

• Study finds evidence of 55 new chemicals in people  –  Phys.org
• Study finds 56 suspect chemicals in average pregnant woman  –  Medical Press
• Toxic Matters: Protecting our families from toxic substances (Brochure)  –  University of California San Francisco
• Suspect screening, prioritization and confirmation of environmental chemicals in maternal-newborn pairs from San Francisco (Research article)

It was a blazing-hot morning in October 2019 on the old Ho Chi Minh Trail, an intricate web of truck roads and secret paths that wove its way across the densely forested and mountainous border between Vietnam and Laos. Susan Hammond, Jacquelyn Chagnon and Niphaphone Sengthong forded a rocky stream along the trail and came to a village of about 400 people called Labeng-Khok, once the site of a logistics base inside Laos used by the North Vietnamese Army to infiltrate troops into the South. In one of the bamboo-and-thatch stilt houses, the ladder to the living quarters was made from metal tubes that formerly held American cluster bombs. More:

• The Victims of Agent Orange the U.S. Has Never Acknowledged  –  The New York Times
• Stockholm Convention National Implementation Plans (NIPs)  (see Lao PDR's initial NIP document) –  Stockholm Convention

A new study has made a significant advance in the field by identifying how environmental information is transmitted by non-DNA molecules in the sperm. It is a discovery that advances scientific understanding of the heredity of paternal life experiences and potentially opens new avenues for studying disease transmission and prevention. More:

• Discovery identifies non-DNA mechanism involved in transmitting paternal experience to offspring  –  Phys.org
• Sperm from older rats passes on fewer active genes to offspring because of epigenetic changes  –  Phys.org
• Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation in sperm is transmitted to the embryo and associated with diet-induced phenotypes in the offspring (Research article)

The whole spectrum of reproductive problems in males are increasing by about 1 percent per year in Western countries. This “1 percent effect” includes the rates of declining sperm counts, decreasing testosterone levels and increasing rates of testicular cancer, as well as a rise in the prevalence of erectile dysfunction. On the female side of the equation, miscarriage rates are also increasing by about 1 percent per year in the U.S. More:

• Reproductive Problems in Both Men and Women Are Rising at an Alarming Rate  –  Scientific American
• Endocrine Disruptors  –  US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

• Trends in Risk of Pregnancy Loss Among US Women, 1990-2011 (Research article)
• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (Research article)
• Temporal trends in testosterone levels and treatment in older men (Research article)
• Age at First Presentation for Erectile Dysfunction: Analysis of Changes over a 12-yr Period (Research article)

• Male Reproductive Disorders and Fertility Trends: Influences of Environment and Genetic Susceptibility (Research article)
• First trimester phthalate exposure and anogenital distance in newborns (Research article)
• Shorter Anogenital Distance Predicts Poorer Semen Quality in Young Men in Rochester, New York (Research article)

• Metabolism Disrupting Chemicals and Metabolic Disorders (Research article)
• Endocrine disruption and obesity: A current review on environmental obesogens (Research article)

There’s a looming solution to all of humanity’s problems — by 2045 most men may no longer be able to reproduce because of the impact of hormone-altering chemicals. That's according to Shanna Swan, a leading scholar of reproductive health. Four years ago, she calculated that the sperm count of the average man in Western countries had fallen by 59 percent from 1973 to 2011— making international headlines of a looming “spermageddon.” More:

• No more babies? The hormone-altering chemicals threatening human procreation  –  POLITICO
• Spermageddon- Why the human race could be infertile in 50 years  –  The Telegraph
• Temporal trends in sperm count- a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (Research article)

• Public health impact of chemicals: knowns and unknowns  –  WHO
• Plastic food packaging chemicals & human health  –  Plastics in the Spotlight Project
• Center for the Study & Treatment of Hypospadias  –  UCSF Department of Urology
• Germline and reproductive tract effects intensify in male mice with successive generations of estrogenic exposure (Research article)
• Decrease in Anogenital Distance among Male Infants with Prenatal Phthalate Exposure (Research article)

When Californians learned that the waters off Santa Catalina Island once served as a dumping ground for thousands of barrels of DDT waste, the ocean science community jumped into action. A crew was swiftly assembled, shipping lanes cleared, the gears set in motion for a deep-sea expedition aboard the Sally Ride, one of the most technologically advanced research vessels in the country. More:

• Deep-sea ‘Roombas’ will comb ocean floor for DDT waste barrels near Catalina  –  Los Angeles Times
• How the waters off Catalina became a DDT dumping ground (Report)  –  Los Angeles Times
• Ocean Dumping of Containerized DDT Waste Was a Sloppy Process (Research article)

• Sea lions are dying from a mysterious cancer: The culprits? Herpes and DDT  –  Los Angeles Times
• Newly Identified DDT-Related Compounds Accumulating in Southern California Bottlenose Dolphins (Research article)

The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to ban all uses of the wood preservative pentachlorophenol. The decision comes after the sole producer of the chemical in North America announced that it was shutting down its pentachlorophenol business by the end of this year. More:

• The end of pentachlorophenol is near  –  C&EN
• Pentachlorophenol is on its way out as a utility pole preservative. Here’s what might take its place  –  C&EN
• Poison Poles (Report)  –  Beyond Pesticides

• EPA Takes Action to Protect Public Health by Proposing Cancellation of Pentachlorophenol  –  US EPA
• Pentachlorophenol Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision, Case 2505  –  Regulations.gov

The testing done by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a class of chemicals tied to a wide range of health concerns, including cancer — in a handful of publicly available herbicides and insecticides. More:

• PFAS in pesticides: 'A problem of epic proportions'  –  E&E News
• PFAS Testing Rinses from Selected Fluorinated and non-Fluorinated HDPE Containers  –  US EPA

“Count Down,” which Shanna Swan wrote with the health and science journalist Stacey Colino, chronicles rising human infertility and warns of dire consequences for our species if this trend doesn’t slow. The reason, Swan explains, may be growing exposure to “endocrine disrupting chemicals” that are found in everything from plastics, flame retardants, electronics, food packaging and pesticides to personal care products and cosmetics. More:

• The Everyday Chemicals That Might Be Leading Us to Our Extinction  –  The New York Times
• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (Research article)

In an international study, researchers assessed the chemical compositions of toys and estimated levels of human exposure to the substances, ultimately finding over 100 "Chemicals of Concern" in plastic toy materials that could pose a non-negligible health risk to children. More:

• Huge, Global Study of Plastic Toys Finds Over 100 Substances That May Harm Children  –  Science Alert
• We Have Failed to Regulate Thousands of Potentially Hazardous Chemicals, Warn Scientists  –  Science Alert
• Chemicals of concern in plastic toys (Research article)

Since it was signed 20 years ago, the Stockholm Convention has helped countries throughout the world to carefully manage the use, storage, distribution, and disposal of a particularly dangerous group of hazardous chemicals, the persistent organic pollutants or POPs. More:

• Managing chemicals for a cleaner, healthier planet  –  Global Environment Facility

The need to move away from the decades old, predominant linear mindset of “take, make, waste” towards a more circular one of “reuse, reduce, recycle” is something most of us can agree on. But when discussing and working towards a circular economy, there is one aspect that keeps getting surprisingly overlooked: The presence of hazardous chemicals. More:

• Billions of reasons for phasing out toxic chemicals from products and material flows  –  Chemsec
• What goes around Chemsec (Report)

Since industrialisation, chemicals have been rolled out without sufficient testing, resulting in dire consequences for humans, animals and the environment. Well-known examples include DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Now in the spotlight: Polymeric FR (PolyFR), a flame retardant for foam building insulation. More:

• How toxic is foam insulation?  –  Cosmos Magazine
• High Production, Low Information: We Need To Know More About Polymeric Flame Retardants (Research article)
• Degradation of the Polymeric Brominated Flame Retardant “Polymeric FR” by Heat and UV Exposure (Research article)

Sperm counts have been dropping; infant boys are developing more genital abnormalities; more girls are experiencing early puberty; and adult women appear to be suffering declining egg quality and more miscarriages. More:

• What Are Sperm Telling Us  –  The New York Times
• What Poisons Are in Your Body?  –  The New York Times

• Dr. Myers on impact of plastic additives on health of future generation  –  (YouTube) - Plastic Health Summit 2019
• Shanna Swan: Prenatal Stress and Phthalates  –  (YouTube) - Life Sciences & Society Program 2015
• Pete Myers: Our failure on fertility  –  EHN
• Decrease in Anogenital Distance among Male Infants with Prenatal Phthalate Exposure (Research article)
• Precocious puberty in girls is increasing and alarming  –  Center for Health Journalism

• Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds  –  The New York Times
• Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (Research article)
• A longitudinal study of semen quality among Chinese sperm donor candidates during the past 11 years (Research article)
• Count Down: Hormonal havoc in our midst  –  EHN

• What Otters' Penis Shrinkage Could Mean for Humans  –  Live Science
• Male Frogs May Be Turning Female Thanks to Estrogen in Suburban Waste  –  Newsweek
• Why Are These Male Fish Growing Eggs?  –  National Geographic
• Environmental pollutants and alterations in the reproductive system in wild male mink (Neovison vison) from Sweden (Research article)
• Reduction in Penis Size and Plasma Testosterone Concentrations in Juvenile Alligators Living in a Contaminated Environment (Research article)

Cancer is already a leading killer of firefighters, yet the standards for water-resistant uniforms, known as turnout gear, call for them to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a highly toxic class of chemicals linked to a wide variety of health problems even at very low doses. More:

• Firefighters' Catch-22: Protective gear full of carcinogens  –  E&E News

• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances- Firefighter Textiles (Research article)
• Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco (Research article)
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust (Research abstract)

Many health experts and advocates say breastfeeding is the best choice for babies but the threat of passing on contamination from PFAS is prompting new questions. Maryann Jacobs’ heart was pounding as she opened her letterbox one snowy morning last year in Hoosick Falls, a town in upstate New York bordering Vermont and Massachusetts. Inside that envelope was devastating news that her baby son Oliver’s results were worse than she had feared. More:

• ‘Am I going to regret it?': forever chemicals dilemma for breastfeeding mothers  –  The Guardian
• Why you need to know about PFAS, the chemicals in pizza boxes and rainwear  –  The Guardian

• Breastfeeding as an Exposure Pathway for Perfluorinated Alkylates (Research Article)
• Estimated Exposures to Perfluorinated Compounds in Infancy Predict Attenuated Vaccine Antibody Concentrations at Age 5-Years (Research Article)
• Infant Dietary Exposures to Environmental Chemicals and Infant/Child Health: A Critical Assessment of the Literature (Research Article)

• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  EWG
• Hoosick Falls, New York, Water Contamination Lawsuit  –  W&L
• Hoosick Falls trustees approve $225,000 agreement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell  –  Bennington Banner
• Wolverine World Wide Tannery  –  US EPA

• Understanding PFOA  –  Bennington College
• Commentary: PFOA victims deserve medical monitoring, health care  –  Times Union
• Understanding PFOA  –  Medical Anthopology Quarterly
• The Reckless Rush to Burn AFFF  –  AFFF - Bennington College
• Data Indicates That Incineration Does not Destroy PFAS Chemicals and Should Be Halted  –  Bennington.edu

Minnesota is rolling out an ambitious statewide strategy to tackle the toxic cancer-linked "forever chemicals" polluting the state's rivers, lakes and drinking water. The entire chemical class would be deemed hazardous in proposal. More:

• With PFAS everywhere, Minnesota calls for big new crackdown on the 'forever chemicals'  –  StarTribune
• Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint  –  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• PFAS 'forever chemicals' found in foam in two east metro creeks  –  StarTribune

A new study heightens concerns about firefighters’ exposure to the fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS: Nearly 99 percent of the fluorine found in tests of dust from inside fire stations likely came from unknown PFAS chemicals that could not be identified as ones that researchers had tested for. More:

• Study: Almost All Fluorine Detected in Fire Stations’ Dust Is From Unknown ‘Forever Chemicals'  –  EWG
• Firefighters Battle an Unseen Hazard: Their Gear Could Be Toxic  –  The New York Times

• New Study Confirms High PFAS Blood Levels Among Firefighters  –  EWG
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust (Research abstract)
• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Firefighter Textiles (Research abstract)

• Findings from a Study of Cancer among U.S. Fire Fighters  –  CDC
• PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer  –  US National Cancer Institute