POPs in the news

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

23/07/2019 -

The resident orcas of British Columbia's South Coast have no natural enemies, but the toxins in their environment are creating unnatural threats that could wipe out the entire population of the Salish Sea's top predator, scientists say. The southern residents are the marine mammals most contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the planet. More:


How toxic food and toxic water could be killing the killer whales

The resident orcas of British Columbia's South Coast have no natural enemies, but the toxins in their environment are creating unnatural threats that could wipe out the entire population of the Salish Sea's top predator, scientists say. The southern residents are the marine mammals most contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the planet. More:

22/07/2019 -

In 1979, veterinarians started noticing a mysterious, sharp rise in thyroid disease among house cats. The increase, which has jumped from 1 in 200 to 1 in 10 since the 1970s, was recently linked to a class of flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The chemicals featured in many household items — from mattresses and makeup to couches and carpets — were phased out starting in 2004. More:


This everyday chemical was cast aside. Its replacement might be making cats sick

In 1979, veterinarians started noticing a mysterious, sharp rise in thyroid disease among house cats. The increase, which has jumped from 1 in 200 to 1 in 10 since the 1970s, was recently linked to a class of flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The chemicals featured in many household items — from mattresses and makeup to couches and carpets — were phased out starting in 2004. More:

22/07/2019 -

As industry phases out certain toxic PFAS chemicals, the compounds are decreasing in and around the Great Lakes, but replacement chemicals—which some argue also pose serious health concerns—are increasing, according to new research from Canada. More:

PFAS monitoring

Fluorinated alternatives


“Forever chemical” replacements on the rise in the Great Lakes

As industry phases out certain toxic PFAS chemicals, the compounds are decreasing in and around the Great Lakes, but replacement chemicals—which some argue also pose serious health concerns—are increasing, according to new research from Canada. More:

PFAS monitoring

Fluorinated alternatives

20/07/2019 -

Paris Dauk’s left arm lies close to her chest, reminiscent of how a bird bears a broken wing. She’s talkative and has a propensity to fill her face, itself marked by abnormal growths, with a toothy grin. Yet while the bird’s wing may eventually heal, Dauk’s limb will not, remaining forever crumpled, underdeveloped, and, ultimately, deformed. More:

Agent Orange

Human Health Effects


The U.S.’s Toxic Agent Orange Legacy

Paris Dauk’s left arm lies close to her chest, reminiscent of how a bird bears a broken wing. She’s talkative and has a propensity to fill her face, itself marked by abnormal growths, with a toothy grin. Yet while the bird’s wing may eventually heal, Dauk’s limb will not, remaining forever crumpled, underdeveloped, and, ultimately, deformed. More:

Agent Orange

Human Health Effects

18/07/2019 -

New Hampshire adopted the country’s most sweeping limits for PFAS chemical contamination in drinking water. The new standards make New Hampshire the first state to require local water systems, landfills and wastewater plants to routinely test and treat for four chemicals classified as PFAS. More:


N.H. Approves Unprecedented Limits For PFAS Chemicals In Drinking Water

New Hampshire adopted the country’s most sweeping limits for PFAS chemical contamination in drinking water. The new standards make New Hampshire the first state to require local water systems, landfills and wastewater plants to routinely test and treat for four chemicals classified as PFAS. More:

16/07/2019 -

'Most people assume that they aren't at risk from toxic chemicals but the reality is different. Mums in the UK have some of the world's highest concentrations of flame retardants in their breast milk, some of which have now been banned. In their report, called Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life, the MPs on the Commons environmental audit committee examine the human health impact of chemicals. More:


Revealed: Unborn children are at risk of being 'pre-polluted' in the womb by poisonous chemicals in furniture and electrical goods

'Most people assume that they aren't at risk from toxic chemicals but the reality is different. Mums in the UK have some of the world's highest concentrations of flame retardants in their breast milk, some of which have now been banned. In their report, called Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life, the MPs on the Commons environmental audit committee examine the human health impact of chemicals. More:

11/07/2019 -

In 2016, Fred Stone made a discovery that threatens to ruin the Maine dairy farm that's been in his family for more than a century: His cow's milk contained exorbitant levels of chemicals that have been linked to illnesses including cancer, thyroid disease, obesity and ulcerative colitis. More:


How toxic PFAS chemicals could be making their way into food from Pennsylvania farms

In 2016, Fred Stone made a discovery that threatens to ruin the Maine dairy farm that's been in his family for more than a century: His cow's milk contained exorbitant levels of chemicals that have been linked to illnesses including cancer, thyroid disease, obesity and ulcerative colitis. More:

11/07/2019 -

California is the nation's top agricultural producing state and receives approximately 300 pesticide complaints a year. With studies showing links between certain pesticides and severe health effects such as developmental delays and autism, people are on high alert. More:


California Launches App for Reporting Pesticide Incidents

California is the nation's top agricultural producing state and receives approximately 300 pesticide complaints a year. With studies showing links between certain pesticides and severe health effects such as developmental delays and autism, people are on high alert. More:

30/06/2019 -

The other week I got an urgent email from a friend. His wife is newly pregnant and he was concerned that her super fragrant, aerosol “dry shampoo” was toxic. Could I review the ingredients and let him know what to do? However, the onus of protecting children from chemicals should fall on manufacturers and regulators, not parents. More:


Parenting 'tips' to avoid toxics aren't enough – we need action to protect our kids

The other week I got an urgent email from a friend. His wife is newly pregnant and he was concerned that her super fragrant, aerosol “dry shampoo” was toxic. Could I review the ingredients and let him know what to do? However, the onus of protecting children from chemicals should fall on manufacturers and regulators, not parents. More:

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