POPs in the news

08/10/2019 -

PFAS chemicals have been identified in synthetic turf, according to lab tests performed on several samples of the artificial grass. The presence of the chemicals, members of a class that has been associated with multiple health problems, including cancer, adds to growing concerns about the grass replacement that covers many thousands of acres in parks, schools, professional sports stadiums, and practice fields around the U.S. More:

Synthetic Turf

Human health effects


Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Artificial Turf

PFAS chemicals have been identified in synthetic turf, according to lab tests performed on several samples of the artificial grass. The presence of the chemicals, members of a class that has been associated with multiple health problems, including cancer, adds to growing concerns about the grass replacement that covers many thousands of acres in parks, schools, professional sports stadiums, and practice fields around the U.S. More:

Synthetic Turf

Human health effects

03/10/2019 -

A new look at data from a historic study of elderly Japanese Americans points to a potential link between pesticide exposure and the development of cardiovascular disease. More:


Heart Disease May Be Linked To Pesticide Exposure

A new look at data from a historic study of elderly Japanese Americans points to a potential link between pesticide exposure and the development of cardiovascular disease. More:

26/09/2019 -

If you’re a new parent, it can be confusing to keep up with the latest recommendations about how to give your baby a healthy start. As scientists learn more about the dangers of toxic chemical exposure to babies’ developing bodies and brains, some products haven’t stood the test of time. Here are three of the biggest differences about what parents do now compared to just a generation ago. More:

Personal care

Flame retardants


3 Things New Parents Do Differently Today to Protect Babies’ Health

If you’re a new parent, it can be confusing to keep up with the latest recommendations about how to give your baby a healthy start. As scientists learn more about the dangers of toxic chemical exposure to babies’ developing bodies and brains, some products haven’t stood the test of time. Here are three of the biggest differences about what parents do now compared to just a generation ago. More:

Personal care

Flame retardants

19/09/2019 -

The chemicals caused lab rats to lose weight. When pregnant rats were exposed to it, their pups lost weight, too, and their pups’ skulls, ribs, and pelvises tended to develop abnormally. The compound, referred to by the number “647-42-7” in Environmental Protection Agency records, also caused discoloration of the teeth, increased liver weights, decreased how much their infants nursed, and lowered the animals’ red blood cell counts. More:

Corporate Accountability

Human Exposure

Human Health Effects


EPA Allowed Companies to Make 40 New PFAS Chemicals despite serious risks

The chemicals caused lab rats to lose weight. When pregnant rats were exposed to it, their pups lost weight, too, and their pups’ skulls, ribs, and pelvises tended to develop abnormally. The compound, referred to by the number “647-42-7” in Environmental Protection Agency records, also caused discoloration of the teeth, increased liver weights, decreased how much their infants nursed, and lowered the animals’ red blood cell counts. More:

Corporate Accountability

Human Exposure

Human Health Effects

18/09/2019 -

Scientists have discovered that a soil microbe commonly found in New Jersey wetlands can break down one of the toughest class of pollutants, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are found in household products from non-stick pans, to dental floss, to water-repellant fabric. More:


New Jersey Soil Microbe Shown to Break Down ‘Forever Chemicals’

Scientists have discovered that a soil microbe commonly found in New Jersey wetlands can break down one of the toughest class of pollutants, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are found in household products from non-stick pans, to dental floss, to water-repellant fabric. More:

12/09/2019 -

Bottlenose dolphins in the Channel have been found to carry a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals in their bodies, some of which have been banned for decades and which may be harming the marine mammals’ health, scientists have said. Belgian and French scientists said they detected high accumulations of industrial fluids and mercury in the blubber and skin of dolphins in the waters off the north-west coast of France. More:


Dolphins in Channel carry 'toxic cocktail' of chemicals

Bottlenose dolphins in the Channel have been found to carry a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals in their bodies, some of which have been banned for decades and which may be harming the marine mammals’ health, scientists have said. Belgian and French scientists said they detected high accumulations of industrial fluids and mercury in the blubber and skin of dolphins in the waters off the north-west coast of France. More:

12/09/2019 -

For more than 20 years, the eastern Michigan town of Lapeer sent leftover sludge from its sewage treatment plant to area farms, supplying them with high-quality, free fertilizer while avoiding the expense of disposal elsewhere. But state inspectors ordered a halt to the practice in 2017 after learning the material was laced with one of the potentially harmful chemicals known collectively as PFAS, which are turning up in drinking water and some foods across the U.S. More:


Concerns grow over tainted sewage sludge spread on croplands

For more than 20 years, the eastern Michigan town of Lapeer sent leftover sludge from its sewage treatment plant to area farms, supplying them with high-quality, free fertilizer while avoiding the expense of disposal elsewhere. But state inspectors ordered a halt to the practice in 2017 after learning the material was laced with one of the potentially harmful chemicals known collectively as PFAS, which are turning up in drinking water and some foods across the U.S. More:

11/09/2019 -

As a Pentagon task force looks into unsafe drinking water on its installations, a new list of Army posts has been added to the roster of bases where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been found in ground water recently. More:


These 90 Army posts have contaminated drinking water

As a Pentagon task force looks into unsafe drinking water on its installations, a new list of Army posts has been added to the roster of bases where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been found in ground water recently. More:

10/09/2019 -

A report from the National Wildlife Federation report is urging state governors and lawmakers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to take steps to address the growing issue of PFAS in the Great Lakes. The report says state action is crucial. More:


National Wildlife Federation report urges state lawmakers to take action on PFAS

A report from the National Wildlife Federation report is urging state governors and lawmakers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to take steps to address the growing issue of PFAS in the Great Lakes. The report says state action is crucial. More:

05/09/2019 -

Jamie DeWitt, a pharmacology and toxicology professor at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, said the first thing parents should know about PFAS is that children are especially sensitive to such contaminants because their bodies are developing. More:


What toxicologist says parents should know about PFAS exposure

Jamie DeWitt, a pharmacology and toxicology professor at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, said the first thing parents should know about PFAS is that children are especially sensitive to such contaminants because their bodies are developing. More:

04/09/2019 -

Denmark will ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and cardboard used in food packaging within the next year under a proposal from the country's Ministry of Environment and Food. More:


Denmark to ban PFAS in food packaging

Denmark will ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and cardboard used in food packaging within the next year under a proposal from the country's Ministry of Environment and Food. More:

02/09/2019 -

Our results show that, starting in the foetal stage, where we live, the food we eat, the air we breathe and the chemical compounds that reach our bodies can affect blood pressure before adolescence,” said study lead author Charline Warembourg. “This is important because evidence shows that children with high blood pressure are more likely to be hypertensive as adults." Among childhood exposures, higher concentrations of copper and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – a compound used in non-stick pots and clothing – were found to lead to higher blood pressure. More:


Many environmental exposures linked to high blood pressure in children

Our results show that, starting in the foetal stage, where we live, the food we eat, the air we breathe and the chemical compounds that reach our bodies can affect blood pressure before adolescence,” said study lead author Charline Warembourg. “This is important because evidence shows that children with high blood pressure are more likely to be hypertensive as adults." Among childhood exposures, higher concentrations of copper and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – a compound used in non-stick pots and clothing – were found to lead to higher blood pressure. More:

30/08/2019 -

Wells of nearly two dozen Southern California water agencies have reportable levels of PFAS, a chemical family increasingly linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low fertility, low birth weight and ulcerative colitis. More:


PFAS toxins found in drinking water throughout Southern California

Wells of nearly two dozen Southern California water agencies have reportable levels of PFAS, a chemical family increasingly linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low fertility, low birth weight and ulcerative colitis. More:

26/08/2019 -

Flame retardants are present in thousands of everyday items, from clothing to furniture to electronics. Although these substances can help prevent fire-related injuries and deaths, they could have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Of particular concern are those known as organohalogens, which are derived from petroleum. Today, scientists report potentially less toxic, biodegradable flame retardants from an unlikely source: plants. More..


Flame retardants—from plants

Flame retardants are present in thousands of everyday items, from clothing to furniture to electronics. Although these substances can help prevent fire-related injuries and deaths, they could have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Of particular concern are those known as organohalogens, which are derived from petroleum. Today, scientists report potentially less toxic, biodegradable flame retardants from an unlikely source: plants. More:

23/08/2019 -

In the late 1980s, the Council of Northeast Governors (CONEG) was concerned that heavy metals in packaging would accumulate in recycled materials to levels that presented serious health concerns. The organization drafted model legislation that prohibited the intentional addition of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium to any component of packaging, including inks. It also set a 100 parts-per-million limit on the total amount of these four heavy metals. More..


Toxic chemicals can enter food through packaging, so we made a list

In the late 1980s, the Council of Northeast Governors (CONEG) was concerned that heavy metals in packaging would accumulate in recycled materials to levels that presented serious health concerns. The organization drafted model legislation that prohibited the intentional addition of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium to any component of packaging, including inks. It also set a 100 parts-per-million limit on the total amount of these four heavy metals. More..

12/08/2019 -

Defenders of the chemicals known as PFAS have seized upon an industry-funded study of cancer patients as evidence that PFOA, the compound used to make Teflon, firefighting foam, and many other products, isn’t as dangerous as it seems. More:


Industry cites 3M research on cancer patients exposed to PFOA to claim the chemical isn’t so bad

Defenders of the chemicals known as PFAS have seized upon an industry-funded study of cancer patients as evidence that PFOA, the compound used to make Teflon, firefighting foam, and many other products, isn’t as dangerous as it seems. More:

09/08/2019 -

Chemical giant and Teflon maker Chemours has quietly stopped making some non-stick coatings used in disposable food packaging amid public debate about their health effects. The DuPont spinoff said it no longer manufactures three products containing PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in the U.S. or globally that were applied to paper food packaging to resist oil and grease. More:


Exclusive: Maker of 'forever chemicals' cuts food packaging products

Chemical giant and Teflon maker Chemours has quietly stopped making some non-stick coatings used in disposable food packaging amid public debate about their health effects. The DuPont spinoff said it no longer manufactures three products containing PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in the U.S. or globally that were applied to paper food packaging to resist oil and grease. More:

08/08/2019 -

Millions of people have eaten out of them: Molded fiber bowls, the popular food containers from restaurants like Chipotle and Sweetgreen. They are supposed to be compostable and environmentally friendly, but some public health experts say the chemicals that allow these bowls to hold hot, wet, and greasy foods without falling apart are toxic to both the environment and you. The chemicals are called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly referred to as PFAS. More:


PFAS chemicals in food: Experts QA

Millions of people have eaten out of them: Molded fiber bowls, the popular food containers from restaurants like Chipotle and Sweetgreen. They are supposed to be compostable and environmentally friendly, but some public health experts say the chemicals that allow these bowls to hold hot, wet, and greasy foods without falling apart are toxic to both the environment and you. The chemicals are called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly referred to as PFAS. More:

05/08/2019 -

The biggest culinary star of the past five years isn’t a chef, or a restaurant group. It’s a bowl, a humble piece of take-out packaging that’s taken the world of commercial foodservice by storm, rising so quickly that few have noted its troubling secret. [...] Once molded fiber manufacturers have mashed raw plant-based fibers—typically processed sugarcane, but also cornstalks, sorghum, or recycled newspaper—into a pulp, PFAS is added in a process called a “wet-end” application. More:


The bowls at Chipotle and Sweetgreen are supposed to be compostable. They contain cancer-linked “forever chemicals”

The biggest culinary star of the past five years isn’t a chef, or a restaurant group. It’s a bowl, a humble piece of take-out packaging that’s taken the world of commercial foodservice by storm, rising so quickly that few have noted its troubling secret. [...] Once molded fiber manufacturers have mashed raw plant-based fibers—typically processed sugarcane, but also cornstalks, sorghum, or recycled newspaper—into a pulp, PFAS is added in a process called a “wet-end” application. More:

26/07/2019 -

Environmental and children’s health advocates breathed a sigh of relief when, over a decade ago, U.S. manufacturers began to phase out a number of flame retardant chemicals from furniture, electronics, textiles and other everyday items. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, were facing increasing scrutiny for impacts on children’s brain development, hormone disruption, reduced fertility, and other adverse health effects, as well as for their ubiquity in the environment and persistence in the food chain. More:

Human exposure and health effects

Toxics in recycled plastics


Why are harmful flame-retardant chemicals still showing up in children’s toys?

Environmental and children’s health advocates breathed a sigh of relief when, over a decade ago, U.S. manufacturers began to phase out a number of flame retardant chemicals from furniture, electronics, textiles and other everyday items. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, were facing increasing scrutiny for impacts on children’s brain development, hormone disruption, reduced fertility, and other adverse health effects, as well as for their ubiquity in the environment and persistence in the food chain. More:

Human exposure and health effects

Toxics in recycled plastics

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