Soil pollution is defined as contamination of soil at higher than normal concentrations by waste materials of human origin that have adverse effects on human and ecosystem health. Pesticides and heavy metals in soil may have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, according to a study. More:

• Link between soil pollution and heart disease identified in new study  –  The Jerusalem Post
• Global assessment of soil pollution - Soil pollution and risk to human health  –  FAO & UNEP
• Soil and water pollution and human health: what should cardiologists worry about? (Research article)

Soils are impacted globally by several anthropogenic factors, including chemical pollutants. Among those, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern due to their high environmental persistence. More:

• Examining the effects of PFAS 'forever chemicals' on soil structure and function  –  Phys.org
• Effects of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on soil structure and function (Research article)
• How simulations could help get PFAS out of soil  –  Phys.org

Alberta researchers look for information about how insecticides may be affecting bats by poking into what remains from their diets. The Alberta Community Bat Program is looking for bat homes near crops to test the bat poop for insects and lingering pesticide found in the guano. More:

• Bat poop research gets to the bottom of pesticide residue  –  The Western Producer
• Analysis of pesticide and persistent organic pollutant residues in German bats (Research abstract)

Teenagers in Europe have high levels of PFAS in their blood, especially Swedish, French and Norwegian ones, an EU human biomonitoring study shows. The reason for these high levels? A large intake of egg, fish, animal intestines – and locally produced food. More:

• European teenagers are high – on PFAS  –  ChemSec

• Per--polyfluorinated compounds  –  HBM4EU
• PFAS - What you need to know (Infographic)  –  HBM4EU
• Policy Brief - PFAS  –  HBM4EU
• Scoping document on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances  –  HBM4EU

• How many PFAS bans does it take to ban PFAS?  –  ChemSec
• Why high levels of PFAS should be a personal injury by law  –  ChemSec

Some brands of period underwear may contain the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. These compounds can be used to create a water- and stain-resistant lining in the underwear, though not all brands contain PFAS, and the chemicals are not necessarily added intentionally. More:

• Tampon shortage: Beware ‘forever chemicals’ in backup options  –  EWG

• PFAS Chemicals  –  EWG
• Fact versus fiction: ‘Forever chemicals’ hazardous substance designation is not a ban  –  EWG
• Many Fast Food Wrappers Still Coated in PFCs, Kin to Carcinogenic Teflon Chemical  –  EWG
• PFAS Chemicals Harm the Immune System, Decrease Response to Vaccines, New EWG Review Finds  –  EWG

• New tests find toxic 'forever chemicals' in bedding, yoga pants and other textiles  –  EWG
• OEKO-TEX Label Check and Buying Guide  –  OEKO-TEX
• Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX - Testing for harmful substances  –  OEKO-TEX
• OEKO-TEX new regulations 2021  –  OEKO-TEX

• Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Period-Proof Underwear  –  EWG
• My Menstrual Underwear Has Toxic Chemicals in It  –  Sierra
• Report: 65% of Period Underwear Tested Likely Contaminated with PFAS Chemicals  –  MAMAVATION
• New lawsuit contends period products contain ‘forever chemicals’  –  EWG

• The Nation’s First Menstrual Products Disclosure Law Goes into Effect in New York  –  WVE
• We Found The Best Period Underwear (Without Toxic Chemicals)  –  Better Goods
• The Ultimate Guide to Period Products  –  Made safe
• Are the ingredients in your fragrance safe? (YouTube)  –  EWG

• How are Menstrual and Intimate Care Products Regulated?  –  VWE
• Menstrual Tampons and Pads: Information for Premarket Notification Submissions  –  US FDA

If the Environmental Protection Agency designates the two best studied “forever chemicals” called PFAS as hazardous substances, manufacturers will not be forced to stop using them. More:

• Fact versus fiction: ‘Forever chemicals’ hazardous substance designation is not a ban  –  EWG

• For PFAS, Hazardous Designation Is Not a Ban  –  EWG
• 40 U.S. CFR § 302.4 - Hazardous substances and reportable quantities  –  Legal Information Institute
• 42 U.S. Code § 9604 - Response authorities  –  Legal Information Institute
• CERCLA and EPCRA Continuous Release Reporting  –  US EPA
• EPA: Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ levels in drinking water should be much lower  –  EWG

• Fact Sheet: 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program  –  US EPA

• Healthcare Workers - Chemical Hazards  –  US CDC
• Sterilization for Medical Devices  –  US FDA
• NIOSH List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, 2016  –  US CDC
• Factors to Consider When Making Benefit-Risk Determinations in Medical Device Premarket Approval and De Novo Classifications (Guidance document) –  US FDA

With the messaging to reduce our plastic use so loud and clear, it seems odd that so many are choosing to carpet their gardens with the stuff. Artificial grass, faux lawn, plastic grass – whatever you call it, it has never been so widely used. And homeowners, or renters, who choose to install it, often cite low maintenance as their number one reason. More:

• 6 reasons why artificial grass is NOT low maintenance  –  Real Homes
• New Studies Show PFAS in Artificial Grass Blades and Backing  –  EWG

A court in Paris found the French government guilty of wrongful negligence involving the former use of a banned pesticide in the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique but denied compensation to those affected More:

• Court finds France negligent in Caribbean pesticide case  –  ABC News
• Chlordécone aux Antilles : le tribunal administratif de Paris reconnaît des «négligences fautives» de l’Etat  –  Le Parisien
• Entre les Antilles et le chlordécone, une ultratoxicité sous l'œil du microscope  –  France 24
• Chlordecone poisoning by the banana industry in the French West Indies, Martinique and Guadeloupe  –  EJAtlas

Cette carte adopte une précision à l’échelle communale de l’utilisation des pesticides, par type de cultures et par type de traitements (herbicides, insecticides, fongicides, traitements de semences). Basée sur le référentiel de l’Indicateur de Fréquence de Traitements phytosanitaires (IFT), elle est disponible gratuitement sur Adonis, la plateforme de Solagro. More:

• Pesticides : une carte de France des IFT publiée par Solagro  –  REUSSIR
• Carte Adonis d'utilisation des pesticides en France  –  Solagro

• Le calcul de l'IFT  –  REUSSIR

• Réduction des pesticides : que propose la Commission européenne ?  –  REUSSIR

Air pollution doesn't just impact the health of your lungs and heart. Recent research has found fine particulate matter can also cause damage to the brain, and scientists think they've finally figured out how. More:

• Toxic Particles Once Inhaled May Travel Directly to The Brain, Study Suggests  –  Science alert
• Passage of exogeneous fine particles from the lung into the brain in humans and animals (Research article)

EU countries and MEPs reached a deal on the proposal that sets limits for harmful chemicals in waste — in a bid to prevent them from being recycled into new materials as part of 'circular economy' efforts. More:

• EU states reject stricter chemical rules in waste, says lead MEP  –  EU Observer

• MEPs call to speed up curbs on toxic 'forever chemicals'  –  EU Observer
• Europe readies to restrict use of toxic 'forever chemicals'  –  EU Observer

• Understanding POPs  –  European Chemicals Agency

Gouldstone wasn't satisfied with just telling her customers everything she did was "natural" and "sustainable". Those words seem to be used everywhere – and without evidence to back them up, she felt they could be misused. More:

• Are 'natural' products better than synthetic ones?  –  BBC Future

• The chemicals that linger for decades in your blood  –  BBC Future

• Start with pure ingredients  –  Amyris

At the conclusion of the United Nations Triple Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), Parties made critical progress by banning a very dangerous “forever chemical” and limiting exports of e-waste, however, they once again failed to take meaningful action to regulate the trade of multiple toxic substances that threaten people and ecosystems and have been on the COP’s agenda for decades. More:

• A UN Chemicals Negotiations Dance one step forward, one step back  –  Center for International Environmental Law

As a part of the European Commission’s Chemical Strategy, it has promised to revise the Cosmetics Regulation. It has been evident for a long time that the current legislation is insufficient as it allows for cosmetic products with harmful substances to the environment and humans, such as PFAS and hormone disruptors. More:

• Time to break up with toxic makeup  –  ChemSec
• Cosmetic Products Regulation Consultation  –  European Commission

Environmental scientists, ecologists, and policy experts argue in a letter that the proposed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework—a new international agreement to protect biodiversity—fails to account for the totality of chemical pollutants that threaten the health of ecosystems worldwide. More:

• New global biodiversity framework falls short on inclusion of chemical pollutants, say environmental experts  –  Phys.org

The Environmental Protection Agency warned that a group of human-made chemicals found in the drinking water, cosmetics and food packaging used by millions of U.S. citizens poses a greater danger to human health than regulators previously thought. More:

• EPA warns toxic ‘forever chemicals’ more dangerous than once thought  –  The Washington Post

• EPA Announces New Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS Chemicals, $1 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Strengthen Health Protections  –  US EPA
• DEQ orders additional PFAS reductions by Chemours  –  North Carolina Environmental Quality

• Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 2,858 sites in 50 states and two territories  –  EWG
• ‘Forever chemicals’ upended a Maine farm — and point to larger problem  –  The Washington Post

Monitoring pollution in rivers involves taking water samples which are then sent to a lab for analysis, only to obtain a spot check of the river's health taken a week ago. Researches have designed a pollution detector that monitors water quality in real time. More:

• Pollution detector that does not need a lab  –  BBC News

Chemicals such as bisphenols and dioxins are thought to interfere with hormones and damage sperm quality, and the study found combinations of these compounds are present at “astonishing” levels, up to 100 times those considered safe. More:

• Cocktail of chemical pollutants linked to falling sperm quality in research  –  The Guardian

• Combined exposures to bisphenols, polychlorinated dioxins, paracetamol, and phthalates as drivers of deteriorating semen quality (Research article)
• Paracetamol use during pregnancy — a call for precautionary action (Research article)

All plastics are made of chemicals, including polymers, additives to make products stronger, softer, colourful or fire resistant, or unintentionally added substances such as solvents, cleaning agents, or impurities from manufacturing or recycling. More:

• “Chemicals in Plastics” by UNEP Chemicals and Health Branch, Geneva (YouTube)  –  UNEP

While there has been widespread outcry about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in consumer goods — such as stain- and water-resistant clothing, nonstick pots and pans, firefighting foam, carpets and furniture — the oil and gas industry could be a major and under-appreciated source of soil and groundwater contamination. More:

• Colorado is the first state to ban PFAS in oil and gas extraction  –  EHN
• Colorado bans PFAS in oil- and gas-extraction products  –  C&EN

• New report: Fracking with “Forever Chemicals"  –  Physician For Social Responsibility
• Opinion: We agree PFAS should not be used in fracking, and it is not  –  The Denver Post

• Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 2,858 sites in 50 states and two territories  –  Environmental working group
• Pennsylvania vows to regulate PFAS in drinking water–again–but regulations are at least two years away  –  Environmental Health News

• How toxic PFAS chemicals could be making their way into food from Pennsylvania farms  –  Environmental Health News

• Unintentional PFAS in products: A “jungle” of contamination  –  Environmental Health News