POPs in the news

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

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:

Page 48 of 81First   Previous   43  44  45  46  47  [48]  49  50  51  52  Next   Last   

DISCLAIMERS

This publication may contain advice, opinions and statements of various information and content providers, and in particular extracts from electronic journals, newspapers and magazines or from other materials (hereinafter the “materials”), about the Stockholm Convention (SC) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS). Please note that the views expressed in these materials are the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views nor carry the endorsement of the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention (SSC), of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) or of the United Nations (UN). Therefore, SSC, UNEP or the UN shall not be responsible for the accuracy or reliability, or completeness of any advice, opinion, statement or other information provided by any information provider, or by any other person or entity, in the contents of these materials. Reliance upon any such advice, opinion, statement, or other information, shall also be at the User's own risk. Neither SSC/UNEP/the UN, nor their respective affiliates, agents, employees, information providers or content providers, shall be liable to any User or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, alteration of or use of any content herein, or for its timeliness or completeness, nor shall they be liable for any failure of performance, computer virus or communication line failure, regardless of cause, or for any damages resulting therefrom. SSC/UNEP/the UN shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned, directly or indirectly, through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of these materials. 

The designations employed and the presentation of the materials in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of SSC, UNEP or the UN, concerning the geo-political situations or the legal status of any country, territory, or city or area or their authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. 

Mention of the names of companies and of commercial products does not imply their endorsement by the UN, UNEP, and by the BRS Conventions’ Secretariats.

For more information please consult the Terms of Use of the Stockholm Convention website.