POPs in the news

05/06/2018 -

Mixtures of chemicals commonly found in consumer products are more likely to increase breast cancer risk than the same chemicals individually, according to a new analysis. But safety tests by government regulators don't routinely evaluate the combined effects of multiple chemical exposures. More:


Consumer Product Safety Testing Overlooks Cancer Risk From Exposure to Multiple Chemicals

Mixtures of chemicals commonly found in consumer products are more likely to increase breast cancer risk than the same chemicals individually, according to a new analysis. But safety tests by government regulators don't routinely evaluate the combined effects of multiple chemical exposures. More:

20/05/2018 -

As children at Patrick Air Force Base in the early 1980s, Kristen Emery and her siblings fished Florida’s Banana River and strung their catch on the back porch to eat. They dug up the backyard, muddying their hands. When they were thirsty, they drank tap water at their base housing. Kristen’s nose bled all the time. She was in and out of the emergency room constantly with asthma or other illnesses from kindergarten through second grade. When puberty hit at 13, a large mass grew on her neck. The diagnosis was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She spent her teenage years in chemotherapy. More:


More reasons to be worried about cancer-causing chemicals on military bases

As children at Patrick Air Force Base in the early 1980s, Kristen Emery and her siblings fished Florida’s Banana River and strung their catch on the back porch to eat. They dug up the backyard, muddying their hands. When they were thirsty, they drank tap water at their base housing. Kristen’s nose bled all the time. She was in and out of the emergency room constantly with asthma or other illnesses from kindergarten through second grade. When puberty hit at 13, a large mass grew on her neck. The diagnosis was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She spent her teenage years in chemotherapy. More:

17/05/2018 -

On May 9, a federal appeals court heard oral arguments in a case about an explosive issue among U.S. veterans: the widespread use of burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the potential health consequences they suffered as a result. The case, which dates back to 2008, consolidated dozens of lawsuits by hundreds of veterans and their families seeking to recover damages from the military contractor.


Veterans Go Back to Court Over Burn Pits. Do They Have a Chance?

On May 9, a federal appeals court heard oral arguments in a case about an explosive issue among U.S. veterans: the widespread use of burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the potential health consequences they suffered as a result. The case, which dates back to 2008, consolidated dozens of lawsuits by hundreds of veterans and their families seeking to recover damages from the military contractor.

04/05/2018 -

The FAO report warns that this dangerous phenomenon should be of concern worldwide. Its consequences are not limited to the degrading of our soils: ultimately, it also poisons the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Soil pollution significantly reduces food security, not only by reducing crop yields due to toxic levels of contaminants, but also by causing crops produced from polluted soils unsafe for consumptions both for animals and humans


FAO Releases Alarming Report on Soil Pollution

The FAO report warns that this dangerous phenomenon should be of concern worldwide. Its consequences are not limited to the degrading of our soils: ultimately, it also poisons the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Soil pollution significantly reduces food security, not only by reducing crop yields due to toxic levels of contaminants, but also by causing crops produced from polluted soils unsafe for consumptions both for animals and humans

26/04/2018 -

New York City's fire department has assembled one of the largest firefighter research populations in the world - Every day for almost three years, a group of firefighters would travel from a clinic in Brooklyn to a laboratory in the Bronx. They had precious cargo in tow: blood samples collected from individuals serving in the Fire Department of the City of New York, many of whom were first responders to the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. More:


Researchers think 9/11 gave first responders cancer—but proving it will be nearly impossible

New York City's fire department has assembled one of the largest firefighter research populations in the world - Every day for almost three years, a group of firefighters would travel from a clinic in Brooklyn to a laboratory in the Bronx. They had precious cargo in tow: blood samples collected from individuals serving in the Fire Department of the City of New York, many of whom were first responders to the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. More:

24/04/2018 -

A fluoroether from a Chemours plant near Petersburg, W.Va., contaminates public and private well water in Ohio and West Virginia, U.S. EPA. This marks the first time that the industrial chemical hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) has been found in U.S. water outside of North Carolina. In that state, the substance contaminates the Cape Fear River downstream of a Chemours plant near Fayetteville that makes fluoroethers. HFPO-DA has also been found in that river’s sediments, well water up to 11 km from the plant, and rainwater. More:


GenX-related fluoroether taints water in wells near West Virginia Chemours plant

A fluoroether from a Chemours plant near Petersburg, W.Va., contaminates public and private well water in Ohio and West Virginia, U.S. EPA. This marks the first time that the industrial chemical hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) has been found in U.S. water outside of North Carolina. In that state, the substance contaminates the Cape Fear River downstream of a Chemours plant near Fayetteville that makes fluoroethers. HFPO-DA has also been found in that river’s sediments, well water up to 11 km from the plant, and rainwater. More:

24/04/2018 -

Afternoon naps are a time-honored tradition in many child-care centers, as toddlers snuggle up on soft mats to drowse, daydream or fidget. The possibility that those mats could be exposing kids to toxic chemicals might come as a surprise to most parents and day-care workers. But a new analysis found potentially harmful flame retardants in the majority of mats at some day cares across Seattle (US). More:


Nap mats at some Seattle child-care centers contain potentially harmful chemicals

Afternoon naps are a time-honored tradition in many child-care centers, as toddlers snuggle up on soft mats to drowse, daydream or fidget. The possibility that those mats could be exposing kids to toxic chemicals might come as a surprise to most parents and day-care workers. But a new analysis found potentially harmful flame retardants in the majority of mats at some day cares across Seattle (US). More:

18/04/2018 -

Two decades after pollution from highly toxic fluorinated chemicals was first reported in American communities and drinking water, the number of known contamination sites is growing rapidly, with no end in sight. The latest update of an interactive map by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University documents publicly known pollution from so-called PFAS chemicals at 94 industrial or military sites in 22 states. More:


Fluorinated Chemical Pollution Crisis Spreads

Two decades after pollution from highly toxic fluorinated chemicals was first reported in American communities and drinking water, the number of known contamination sites is growing rapidly, with no end in sight. The latest update of an interactive map by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University documents publicly known pollution from so-called PFAS chemicals at 94 industrial or military sites in 22 states. More:

12/04/2018 -

Researchers study how pepper plants absorb common antimicrobial found in personal care items. More:


Cleaning product toxins found in crops

Researchers study how pepper plants absorb common antimicrobial found in personal care items. More:

11/04/2018 -

The unsightly ivory-colored meringue that rimmed the shore is a visible illustration of an ongoing national health and environmental disaster related to perfluorinated compounds. PFAS, as this group of chemicals is collectively called, are used to manufacture rain-repelling, stain-deflecting, heat-resisting consumer and industrial products like Teflon skillets, Gore-Tex jackets, and fire retardants. There’s a good chance that every home in America has products strengthened with one of the compounds. More:


Fear and Fury in Michigan Town Where Air Force Contaminated Water

The unsightly ivory-colored meringue that rimmed the shore is a visible illustration of an ongoing national health and environmental disaster related to perfluorinated compounds. PFAS, as this group of chemicals is collectively called, are used to manufacture rain-repelling, stain-deflecting, heat-resisting consumer and industrial products like Teflon skillets, Gore-Tex jackets, and fire retardants. There’s a good chance that every home in America has products strengthened with one of the compounds. More:

09/04/2018 -

The state of North Carolina formally warned Chemours that in 60 days, it will prohibit the plant from emitting to the atmosphere hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) and two related fluoroethers that hydrolyze into HFPO-DA. One of those chemicals is GenX, a surfactant used as a polymerization aid to manufacture fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymers are used as membranes in fuel cells and to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide. More:


North Carolina cracks down on Chemours’s fluoroether air pollution

The state of North Carolina formally warned Chemours that in 60 days, it will prohibit the plant from emitting to the atmosphere hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) and two related fluoroethers that hydrolyze into HFPO-DA. One of those chemicals is GenX, a surfactant used as a polymerization aid to manufacture fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymers are used as membranes in fuel cells and to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide. More:

04/04/2018 -

The levels of harmful flame retardants in children's blood are dropping every year, according to a new study of kids from New York City. The flame retardants—polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)— were used for decades in furniture, electronics and clothing in an effort to slow the spread of flames if they catch fire. The chemicals were voluntarily phased out starting in 2004 because they build up in the environment and people—PBDEs are found in the air (in and outside our homes), some food, and in people all around the world.


Good News: Toxic flame retardants declining in NYC kids’ blood

The levels of harmful flame retardants in children's blood are dropping every year, according to a new study of kids from New York City. The flame retardants—polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)— were used for decades in furniture, electronics and clothing in an effort to slow the spread of flames if they catch fire. The chemicals were voluntarily phased out starting in 2004 because they build up in the environment and people—PBDEs are found in the air (in and outside our homes), some food, and in people all around the world.

02/04/2018 -

A byproduct of yellow pigment manufacturing is showing up in Great Lakes air—and it isn't going away Toxic PCBs are on a steady decrease in Great Lakes region air but over the past decade one type remains constant—it's likely due to yellow pigment manufacturing. More:


Most PCBs are decreasing near the Great Lakes—but one’s not. Why?

A byproduct of yellow pigment manufacturing is showing up in Great Lakes air—and it isn't going away Toxic PCBs are on a steady decrease in Great Lakes region air but over the past decade one type remains constant—it's likely due to yellow pigment manufacturing. More:

28/03/2018 -

When Donald Taves discovered two kinds of fluoride in his blood in the late 1960s, he immediately knew something was wrong. Everyone assumed that blood contained just one type of fluoride, a naturally occurring form that health officials added to drinking water to prevent cavities. But levels in people’s blood didn’t seem to relate to those found in their water supply. More:


In search of safe replacements for harmful chemicals used in cookware, carpets, clothing, cosmetics and more

When Donald Taves discovered two kinds of fluoride in his blood in the late 1960s, he immediately knew something was wrong. Everyone assumed that blood contained just one type of fluoride, a naturally occurring form that health officials added to drinking water to prevent cavities. But levels in people’s blood didn’t seem to relate to those found in their water supply. More:

27/03/2018 -

In many ways, DuPont’s environmental crisis in the Ohio River Valley is now playing out in southeastern North Carolina, where the company made C8 at its Fayetteville Works plant before switching to a compound called GenX.  More:


In the Dark: The story behind GenX. A four-part series

In many ways, DuPont’s environmental crisis in the Ohio River Valley is now playing out in southeastern North Carolina, where the company made C8 at its Fayetteville Works plant before switching to a compound called GenX.  More:

21/03/2018 -

If you only focus on diet and exercise you're missing a huge influence—chemicals in our environment that promote weight gain. More:


Why are we so fat despite our best efforts?

If you only focus on diet and exercise you're missing a huge influence—chemicals in our environment that promote weight gain. More:

20/03/2018 -

Le Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN) et le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) annoncent les résultats principaux de deux réseaux de suivi des oiseaux sur le territoire français et évoquent un phénomène de « disparition massive », « proche de la catastrophe écologique ». « Les oiseaux des campagnes françaises disparaissent à une vitesse vertigineuse, précisent les deux institutions dans un communiqué commun. En moyenne, leurs populations se sont réduites d’un tiers en quinze ans. » More:


Les oiseaux disparaissent des campagnes françaises à une « vitesse vertigineuse »

Le Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN) et le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) annoncent les résultats principaux de deux réseaux de suivi des oiseaux sur le territoire français et évoquent un phénomène de « disparition massive », « proche de la catastrophe écologique ». « Les oiseaux des campagnes françaises disparaissent à une vitesse vertigineuse, précisent les deux institutions dans un communiqué commun. En moyenne, leurs populations se sont réduites d’un tiers en quinze ans. » More:

15/03/2018 -

Luring falcons to farms can keep pesky insects, rodents and other critters in check—putting a dent in poison and pesticide use. Summer carloads of sweet-toothed tourists, flush with cash and seeking local pies and jams, are an economic godsend in the cherry-growing region. Other hungry visitors are less welcome—voles, weevils, fruit flies, grasshoppers and pest birds do significant damage to local crops. More:


Protecting crops with predators instead of poisons

Luring falcons to farms can keep pesky insects, rodents and other critters in check—putting a dent in poison and pesticide use. Summer carloads of sweet-toothed tourists, flush with cash and seeking local pies and jams, are an economic godsend in the cherry-growing region. Other hungry visitors are less welcome—voles, weevils, fruit flies, grasshoppers and pest birds do significant damage to local crops. More:

09/03/2018 -

Glaciers, like many venerable objects, can act as time capsules. Like a dusty vinyl record holds an era’s songs, ice holds very old molecules—not just the H2O of snow, but traces of airborne particles like dust, ash, and chemicals that hitched a ride on falling flakes. In the Antarctic, Adélie penguins harbor consistent levels of the pesticide DDT. More:


Melting Glaciers Do More Than Raise Sea Levels

Glaciers, like many venerable objects, can act as time capsules. Like a dusty vinyl record holds an era’s songs, ice holds very old molecules—not just the H2O of snow, but traces of airborne particles like dust, ash, and chemicals that hitched a ride on falling flakes. In the Antarctic, Adélie penguins harbor consistent levels of the pesticide DDT. More:

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