A non-profit research group has found the oil and gas industry in Ohio has used PFAS, known as “forever” chemicals, in at least 101 oil and gas wells since 2013. Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released a report and said that the state’s disclosure rules prevent the public from knowing how widely PFAS have been used. More:

• Group finds PFAS 'forever' chemicals used in Ohio oil and gas wells  –  The Allegheny Front

• Fracking with Forever Chemicals in Ohio (download PDF) (Study report)  –  Physicians for Social Responsibility
• EPA-approved fracking chemicals include PFAS, a 'forever chemical'  –  The Allegheny Front
• PFAS The latest toxic concern for those near fracking  –  Environmental Health News
• The national hydraulic fracturing chemical disclosure registry.  –  FraFocus

• USGS characterizes flow paths for movement of PFAS in groundwater in Southeastern Pennsylvania  –  USGS
• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA

• EPA Announces New Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS Chemicals, $1 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Strengthen Health Protections  –  US EPA
• Pennsylvania holds public hearings on PFAS drinking water regulation  –  The Allegheny Front
• Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for seven PFAS compounds  –  Michigan.gov

For almost four decades, the U.S. has recognized October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month to spotlight the disease and funding for research on breast cancer diagnoses, treatments and prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eight women in the U.S. will get breast cancer in her lifetime. More:

• This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, reduce your exposure to endocrine disruptors  –  EWG

• Endocrine disrupting chemicals and breast cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies (download PDF) (Research article)
• Environmental chemicals and breast cancer: An updated review of epidemiological literature informed by biological mechanisms (Research article)
• Chemical Effects on Breast Development, Function, and Cancer Risk: Existing Knowledge and New Opportunities (Research article)
• Breast Cancer In Young Women  –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells, Obesity and the Tumor Microenvironment of Breast Cancer (Research article)

• What are endocrine disruptors?  –  EWG
• Endocrine Disruptors–‘Food’ for Thought (Research article)
• Endocrine disruptors on and in fruits and vegetables: Estimation of the potential exposure of the French population (Research article)
• Chemicals in our food may be contributing to weight gain  –  EWG

• Study: Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ widespread across many cosmetics categories  –  EWG
• What Are Parabens, and Why Don’t They Belong in Cosmetics?  –  EWG
• Personal care product use as a predictor of urinary concentrations of certain phthalates, parabens, and phenols in the HERMOSA study (Research article)
• Changes in Latina Women’s Exposure to Cleaning Chemicals Associated with Switching from Conventional to “Green” Household Cleaning Products: The LUCIR Intervention Study (Research article)

• Safer Choice  –  US EPA
• EWG’s Healthy Living App  –  EWG
• EWG's 2022 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce  –  EWG

• Your guide to safer personal care products  –  EWG's Skin Deep
• A mark you can trust  –  EWG
• EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning: Frequently Asked Questions  –  EWG
• Six tips to avoid phthalates after study highlights health harms, billion-dollar costs  –  EWG

When it comes to the United States phasing out PFAS, the “forever chemicals” are true to their nickname in more ways than one. It’s not going to be straightforward or swift to eliminate these substances from countless industries, even though they have been potentially linked to myriad health issues. More:

• Why getting PFAS out of our products is so hard — and why it matters  –  PBS

• Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for PFAS (Research article)
• Distribution of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water, sediment, and fish tissue, and the potential human health risks due to fish consumption in Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia (Research abstract)
• We’re breathing PFAS: URI-led study finds harmful forever chemicals in indoor air  –  The University of Rhode Island
• PFAS Related Air Quality Issues  –  Michigan.gov
• Reducing negative impact of PFAS  –  NGI

• An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (Research article)
• Authorized Uses of PFAS in Food Contact Applications  –  FDA USA
• ‘Forever chemicals’ found in nearly 60% of children’s ‘waterproof’ or ‘stain-resistant’ textiles  –  The Guardian
• High Levels of PFAS Found in Anti-Fogging Sprays and Cloths  –  Duke Nicholas School of the Environment
• Use of PFAS in cosmetics ‘widespread,’ new study finds  –  University of Notre Dame

• Protective gear could expose firefighters to PFAS  –  C&EN
• Firefighting Foam Chemicals: DOD Is Investigating PFAS and Responding to Contamination, but Should Report More Cost Information  –  US GAO
• The New Foam  –  US National Fire Protection Association

• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• A Review of the Pathways of Human Exposure to PFASs and Present Understanding of Health Effects (Research article)

• States Are Taking Action  –  Safer States
• Washington's toxics in products laws  –  Department of Ecology State of Washington
• State takes steps toward banning persistent PFAS chemicals in food packaging  –  Department of Ecology State of Washington
• EPA Announces New Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS Chemicals, $1 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Strengthen Health Protections  –  US EPA
• Fish and Shellfish Program (download PDF) (Newsletter)  –  US EPA

• PFAS-free & Preferred Products  –  Greenscreen for safer chemicals
• Safer Products for Washington resources  –  Department of Ecology State of Washington
• The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out (Research article)

• Why phthalates should be restricted or banned from consumer products  –  Harvard T.H. Chan
• Ozone Layer Protection  –  US EPA
• Chlorofluorocarbons and Ozone Depletion – ACS

Some 400,000 specimens from German citizens, collected over four decades and stored in an old military bunker, trace the rise—and sometimes the fall—of chemical pollutants in an industrial country. More:

• A German bunker full of blood and urine has the best record of how chemicals contaminate us  –  National Geographic

• Project Group Environmental Specimen Bank  –  Fraunhofer IBMT
• Long-term monitoring of mercury in young German adults: Time trend analyses from the German Environmental Specimen Bank, 1995–2018 (Research article)
• Long-term time trend of lead exposure in young German adults – Evaluation of more than 35 Years of data of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (Research article)
• Phthalate metabolites in 24-h urine samples of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) from 1988 to 2015 and a comparison with US NHANES data from 1999 to 2012 (Research article)

• Restrictions Roadmap under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (download PDF)  –  European Commission

The Mediterranean ecosystem is fragile and human-induced pressures are felt intensely in the region. Around 70% of the population in the Mediterranean lives mostly in coastal cities and it is a popular tourist destination worldwide. However, the Mediterranean has recently been the victim of various kinds of pollution. More:

• More coordination needed to protect Mediterranean from pollution  –  Daily Sabah
• Barcelona Convention and Protocols  –  UNEP
• Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)  –  UNEP

People who work in manufacturing, welding and chemical operations and are exposed to hazardous chemicals may face a higher risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study found. More:

• Study Points to Jobs With Highest Risk for ALS  –  US News
• Associations of self-reported occupational exposures and settings to ALS: a case–control study (Research article)

• Silica, Crystalline  –  US Department of Labor
• Facts About Formaldehyde –  US EPA

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Fact Sheet  –  US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• National ALS Registry Dashboard –  US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Most consumers would be surprised to learn Australia has less rigorous standards on pesticides than much of Europe or the United States – and UK environmental campaigners have now raised the alarm about harmful pesticides in Australian food. More:

• Australian food is grown with dangerous chemicals banned in other countries  –  The Guardian

• Why are pesticides banned overseas still used in Australia and what does it mean for the environment?  –  The Guardian
• The dirty dozen: 12 pesticides that are banned elsewhere but still used in Australia  –  The Guardian
• Independent Review of the Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Regulatory System in Australia (download PDF) (Report)  –  Australian Government

• Green groups in last-ditch bid to block UK’s Australia trade deal  –  The Guardian
• UK trade deal with Australia amounts to ‘offshoring’ pesticide use, MPs say  –  The Guardian

• Does paraquat cause Parkinson’s disease? A review of reviews (Research article)
• Glyphosate weedkiller damages wild bee colonies, study reveals  –  The Guardian
• Highly Hazardous Pesticides  –  UNEP

• Australian mouse plague: ‘napalming’ rodents could kill native and domestic animals too  –  The Guardian
• Mouse plague poison kills dozens of birds in New South Wales  –  The Guardian

Widely used pesticides contain concerning levels of toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAS, adding to concerns about the human health risks posed by pesticides that are used in growing food, according to a study. The study found a type of PFAS called PFOS at levels hundreds of thousands of times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe in 6 out of 10 insecticides tested, including malathion, one of the most commonly applied insecticides in the world. More:

• High levels of toxic PFAS found in pesticides used in farming  –  The New Lede
• Questions and Answers: Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA, PFOS, GenX Chemicals and PFBS  –  US EPA

• EPA Proposes to Stop Authorized Use of Certain PFAS in Pesticide Products  –  US EPA
• Targeted analysis and Total Oxidizable Precursor assay of several insecticides for PFAS (Research article)

• EPA confirms PFAS can leach from shipping containers into food, other products  –  The New Lede

Researchers are finding chemicals that have not been fully tested for their environmental impact in eagles, owls and falcons – a sign of widespread, persistent pollution. More:

• How birds of prey are exposing a toxic time bomb  –  The Guardian

• Superpredation increases mercury levels in a generalist top predator, the eagle owl (Research article)
• Bioaccumulation potential of bisphenols and benzophenone UV filters: A multiresidue approach in raptor tissues (Research article)

• UK killer whale died with extreme levels of toxic pollutants  –  The Guardian
• Ecological and spatial variations of legacy and emerging contaminants in white-tailed sea eagles from Germany: Implications for prioritisation and future risk management (Research article)
• Integrated exposure assessment of northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nestlings to legacy and emerging organic pollutants using non-destructive samples (Research article)
• Legacy and emerging organohalogenated compounds in feathers of Eurasian eagle-owls (Bubo bubo) in Norway: Spatiotemporal variations and associations with dietary proxies (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) (Research article)

• Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (download PDF) (Research article)
• Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists  –  The Guardian
• Newer PFAS compound detected for first time in Arctic seawater  –  ACS
• Emerging organic compounds in European groundwater (Research article)
• UK ‘flying blind’ on levels of toxic chemicals in tap water  –  The Guardian

• Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFASs)  –  ECHA
• Flame retardants  –  Science and policy for a healthy future
• Bisphenols  –  ECHA
• Bisphenol A  –  EFSA
• Analysis of PFAS chemicals in takeaway food packaging from UK high street retailers (download PDF)  (Report) –  ChemTrust
• Emerging substances  –  Norman

• The SELMA Study: A Birth Cohort Study in Sweden Following More Than 2000 Mother–Child Pairs (Research article)
• From cohorts to molecules: Adverse impacts of endocrine disrupting mixtures (Research abstract)
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research (Research article)

• High resolution mass spectrometry-based non-target screening can support regulatory environmental monitoring and chemicals management (Research article)
• Mixtures methodology equips EFSA for multiple chemicals  –  EFSA

• Understanding REACH  –  ECHA
• REACH: Information requirements  –  ECHA
• REACH Compliance Data availability in REACH registrations (download PDF) (Report)  –  German Environment Agency
• Chemicals Strategy  –  European Commission
• EU unveils plan for ‘largest ever ban’ on dangerous chemicals  –  The Guardian

• UK REACH explained  –  Health and Safety Executive
• UK-EU Regulatory Divergence Tracker (download PDF)  –  UK in a Changing Europe
• Rationale for prioritising substances in the UK REACH work programme, 2022 to 2023  –  Gov.uk

When it comes to environmental toxins, many of us conjure images of industrial smokestacks, but unfortunately, they aren’t in just the most obvious places, but they’re everywhere in our daily lives – in the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the products we use on our body, in our homes and our gardens. More:

• Environmental Toxins 101: Everything You Need to Know  –  EcoWatch

• Toxicological Profiles  –  US ATSDR
• What Primary Physicians Should Know about Environmental Causes of Illness  –  AMA Journal of Ethics
• Environmental Toxins: Health Impacts and the Role of Public Health Professionals  –  Tulane University
• 13 Toxic Chemicals Lurking in Your Home  –  Green America

• What to know about dioxins  –  Medical News Today
• Learn about Dioxin  –  US EPA
• Dioxins and their effects on human health  –  WHO

• Body Burden  –  ScienceDirect
• Is modern life poisoning me? I took the tests to find out  –  The Guardian

GINOWAN, Okinawa Prefecture--Extremely high levels of a suspected carcinogen were detected in the grounds of an elementary school next to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma here, rekindling persistent health concerns over the handling of dangerous chemicals at U.S. military bases. More:

• High levels of PFOS detected at Okinawa school next to U.S. base  –  The Asahi Shimbun

Toxic PFAS chemicals were detected in every umbilical cord blood sample across 40 studies. The studies collectively examined nearly 30,000 samples, and many linked fetal PFAS exposure to health complications in unborn babies, young children and later in life. More:

• ‘Forever chemicals’ detected in all umbilical cord blood in 40 studies  –  The Guardian
• Pregnant with PFAS: The threat of ‘forever chemicals’ in cord blood  –  EWG

The lead water crisis facing Chicago and many other US cities today has roots in a nearly century-old campaign to boost the lead industry’s sales. The year was 1933 and, to a group of industrialists gathered in a New York City lunch club, it seemed like the lead industry was doomed. More:

• Profiting from poison: how the US lead industry knowingly created a water crisis  –  The Guardian
• The Lead Industry and Lead Water Pipes “A MODEST CAMPAIGN” (Research article)
• The thousands of U.S. locales where lead poisoning is worse than in Flint  –  Reuters

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic consumed humanity’s attention, our species ran through 4.5 trillion doses of myriad pharmaceuticals. In India alone, one drug, paracetamol — a pain reliever used to treat some COVID-19 symptoms — saw sales top 3.5 billion pills through 2021. This occurred even as the pandemic pushed big pharma into overdrive, with companies racing to develop and hit the market with successful vaccines, dispensing more than 12.6 billion doses in record time. More:

• Humans are dosing Earth’s waterways with medicines. It isn’t healthy.  –  Mongabay

• Pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers (Research article)
• Metformin environmental exposure: A systematic review (Research abstract)
• Assessment of the Potential Ecotoxicological Effects of Pharmaceuticals in the World's Rivers (Research article)
• Emerging wastewater contaminant metformin causes intersex and reduced fecundity in fish (Research article)
• Low-dose metformin exposure causes changes in expression of endocrine disruption-associated genes (Research abstract)

• Five ways hospitals are tackling pharmaceutical pollution  –  Pharmaceutical technology
• Research project that aims at reducing the environmental hazards related to the life cycle of pharmaceuticals  –  Sudden
• Greening the pharmacy (Research abstract)

Since the global pandemic began in 2020, the world has become ever more aware that the health of our species is closely intertwined with other animals. Today, the conversation is mostly focused on birds and mammals, with amphibians rarely considered – but that may be a dangerous oversight. More:

• The Frogs Vanished, Then People Got Sick. This Was No Harmless Coincidence  –  ScienceAlert
• Amphibian collapses increased malaria incidence in Central America (Research article)

A study, published in the Environmental and Science Technology journal, detected PFAS in 65% of school uniforms, rain gear, snowsuits, snowshoes, mittens, bibs, hats and stroller covers tested, and at levels authors characterized as “high”. More:

• ‘What are they thinking?’: toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in school uniforms  –  The Guardian
• Study finds high levels of PFAS in school uniforms  –  Science Daily
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in North American School Uniforms (Research article)

If you follow the science news, you’ll probably see research about PFAS – where they’re found, where they come from, and their impacts on health and the environment – coming out every week. But what actually are these chemicals, and why is there so much interest in them? More:

• Explainer: what are PFAS?  –  COSMOS

• Is There a ‘Right’ Definition of PFAS?  –  BU School of Public Health
• Is It Possible to Eliminate Something That Is “Forever”?  –  ACS

• Would you like some chemicals with that?  –  COSMOS
• How Well Do Product Labels Indicate the Presence of PFAS in Consumer Items Used by Children and Adolescents? (Research article)
• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  EPA

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIH
• Exposure to Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances and Health Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review of the Epidemiologic Literature (Research article)
• C8 Probable Link Reports  –  C8 Science Panel
• Higher levels of PFAS exposure may increase chance of Covid, studies say  –  The Guardian

• Katherine's PFAS water treatment plant finally ready for action — but more will follow, experts warn  –  ABC News

States are continuing to allow sewage sludge to be spread on cropland as fertilizer and in some cases increasing the amount spread, even as the PFAS-tainted substance has ruined farmers’ livelihoods, poisoned water supplies, contaminated food and put the public’s health at risk. More:

• Fury over ‘forever chemicals’ as US states spread toxic sewage sludge  –  The Guardian
• Despite pushback from residents, more sludge coming to King William  –  DailyPress

• ‘I don’t know how we’ll survive’: the farmers facing ruin in Maine’s ‘forever chemicals’ crisis  –  The Guardian
• Michigan beef found to contain dangerous levels of ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Guardian
• Initiatives to Evaluate the Presence of PFAS in Municipal Wastewater and Associated Residuals (Sludge/Biosolids) in Michigan (Summary report)  –  Michigan EGLE
• 3M, Georgia Town Sued Over PFAS Sludge in Water, on Farms  –  Bloomberg Law

• Maine bans use of sewage sludge on farms to reduce risk of PFAS poisoning  –  The Guardian
• City again outlaws human waste as fertilizer  –  Central Oklahoma Weeklies
• Alabama tightens rules on foul-smelling sludge after complaints  –  Al.com

A 2021 investigation into a fast fashion firm found elevated levels of lead, phthalates, and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – chemicals linked to health problems – in clothing for children and adults, including pregnant women. More:

• The toxic chemicals in our clothes – lead, chromium, PFAS, phthalates – and the harm they do us, our children and the workers who make them  –  South China Morning Post
• Experts warn of high levels of chemicals in clothes by some fast-fashion retailers  –  CBC

Noyon Lanka, a unit of Sri Lanka’s MAS apparel group has developed a new plant extract-based dye that reduces water and energy use in washing plants and makes the industry more environmentally friendly, officials said. More:

• Sri Lanka’s Noyon Lanka develops eco-friendly plant based dye  –  EconomyNext