Based on the latest science on two chemical contaminants called PFOA and PFOS, EPA released drinking water health advisories to provide the most up-to-date information on the health risks of these chemicals. More:

• Science Guides Public Health Protection for Drinking Water - EPA Connect
• Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS - US EPA
• Check This Map To See If Your Water Has Unsafe Levels Of “Fluorinated” Chemicals - BuzzFeedNews
• Is Your Drinking Water Contaminated With Toxic Non-Stick Chemicals? - Environmental Working Group

Apparent 'victories' in the fight against toxic chemicals are illusory, writes Jonathan Latham. The real problem is not one of specific 'bad actors', but the entire system that allows new, likely to be toxic compounds to pollute the environment in near-total ignorance of their impacts. More:
Ecologist

ORLANDO (Ivanhoe Newswire/WTVM) -- Firefighters face many risks during their jobs, but, ironically, the most dangerous part of running into a burning building isn’t the flames, it’s the smoke. It billows off furniture, appliances and carpets in toxic waves of cancer-causing fumes. More:
WTVM.com

People with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, are more likely to have been exposed to toxic pesticides or to have served in the military than similar people without the condition, according to a new study. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative disease in which nerve cells break down over time. More:

• Pesticides, military service may be tied to ALS risk - Reuters
• Association of Environmental Toxins With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Research article)

In April 2015, Department of Defence officials arranged blood tests for 75 civilians in the Queensland town of Oakey, Australia. Defence wanted to determine their exposure to toxic perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) that leached onto their properties from the nearby Army Aviation Centre. More:
The Sydney Morning Herald

The usefulness of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) as an extreme pressure additive in metalworking and in a vast number of other applications for over 80 years is undisputed. But why is there renewed interest in CPs worldwide? It is easier to understand why, when several simple questions are answered. More:
Fuels and Lubes International

In a new study, environmental pollutants found in fish were shown to obstruct the human body’s natural defense system to expel harmful toxins. A protein found in cells of nearly all plants and animals, called P-gp, acts as the cell’s bouncer by binding to the foreign chemical and expelling it from the body. More:

• Research Highlight: Pollutants in Fish Inhibit Humans' Natural Defense System - Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Eating Seafood May Obstruct Natural Human Defense System Mechanism, Here's Why - Science World Report
• Global marine pollutants inhibit P-glycoprotein: Environmental levels, inhibitory effects, and cocrystal structure (Research article)

Skin samples taken from 15 great whites near Dyer Island, off Gansbaai in Western Cape, contained high levels of DDT. More:
www.timeslive.co.za

Also known as C8, because of its eight-carbon molecule, PFOA has been found in drinking water in many places across the United States. Although the chemical was developed and long manufactured in the United States, it’s not just an American problem. PFOA has spread throughout the world. More:
The Intercept

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found at elevated levels in children that lived in houses and studied in schools built during this period, before PCBs were more thoroughly regulated in the construction industry. Although food is generally a more concentrated source of these toxins, exposure through these environments should be minimised wherever possible. More: 

• Building materials used between 1950 and 1980 in Europe may contribute to PCB air pollution - Science for Environment Policy
• Associations between plasma concentrations of PCB 28 and possible indoor exposure sources in Danish school children and mothers (Research article)

Industrial pollution in people happens long before they take their first sip of water. Most of us encounter chemicals that can cause brain damage, cancer and other serious health problems in a place critical to human development - the mother's womb. More:

• 3 Toxins Found in the Cord Blood of Every One of the 10 Newborns Tested - Environmental Working Group
• Pollution in minority newborns: BPA and other cord blood pollutants (Research article)

Hundreds of residents in the Dutch city of Dordrecht have signaled an interest in getting their blood tested for a chemical used at a former DuPont Co. factory, harking back to a similar survey in the U.S. a decade ago that established a probable link to cancer. More: Bloomberg

More and more women are finding it difficult to get pregnant, with mounting evidence suggesting chemicals used in plasticisers and pesticides are responsible. The consequences are estimated to cost the EU €1.4 billion per year. More:

• Endocrine disruptors’ link to infertility confirmed - EurActiv 
• Chemical Exposure Linked to 1.4 Billion Euros in Women's Health Care Costs - Endocrine Society
• Female Reproductive Disorders, Diseases, and Costs of Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union (Research article)

Chickens foraging on soils containing environmental pollutants can accumulate these chemicals in their tissues and eggs. A study assessed levels of dioxins in eggs produced in Poland, in some cases finding concentrations several times above the safe EU limit. The researchers identified the source as preservative-treated wood in the chicken coop, which they say is a public health risk.  More: 

• Egg consumers may be exposed to dioxinsabove EU limit due to farmyard PCP - Science for Environment Policy
• Pentachlorophenol from an old henhouse as a dioxin source in eggs and related human exposure (Research article)

Where do you stand on the role of academia in training the next generation of chemists: should we favour ‘applied chemistry’ or ‘science for the sake of science’? Both sides have valid points; public funding should not be subsidising private industry, but students should receive practical training to help them get jobs after graduation. Navigating the complex issues around toxicity and waste can be a significant impediment to commercial success of any new technology. More:
Chemistry World

Research has found evidence for recent contamination of Lake Como, northern Italy, with chemicals banned in the EU since the 1970s. Levels of DDT and PCBs in sediment, aquatic microorganisms and fish were examined. The results suggest glacial meltwater as a source for renewed DDT contamination and show recent contamination of fish above safe levels. The findings demonstrate the need for continued monitoring of persistent organic pollutants in European waters. More:

• Lake Como contaminated with chemicals banned in the 1970s - Science for Environment Policy 
• Recent DDT and PCB contamination in the sediment and biota of the Como Bay (Lake Como, Italy) (Research article)

Since California banned flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in 2006, levels of these chemicals in the breast milk of San Francisco Bay area women has fallen by nearly 40%. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed PBDEs a concern for children’s health, linking them to behavioural problems following postnatal exposure. More: 

• California Bay area sees 39% drop in PBDEs in breast milk - Chemistry World
• PBDE levels in breast milk are decreasing in California (Research article)

Alternatives assessment involves comparing the advantages and disadvantages of potential substitutes for toxic chemicals. To determine the factors common to a high-quality alternatives assessment framework, researchers identified 20 frameworks and evaluated six core areas: hazard assessment, exposure characterization, life cycle impacts, technical feasibility assessment, economic feasibility assessment, and decision-making processes for reaching conclusions about alternatives. More:

• The Right Tools for the Job: Evaluating Frameworks for Chemical Alternatives Assessment - Environmental Health Perspectives.
• Alternatives Assessment Frameworks: Research Needs for the Informed Substitution of Hazardous Chemicals (Research article).

A new state study suggests the amount of flame retardants found in the breast milk of Northern California women declined significantly over about a decade, possibly as a result of a 2003 state ban on the toxic chemicals. More:
Flame retardant levels drop in breast milk of California women, study finds - The Sacramento Bee
Flame Retardant Levels in California Breast Milk Decreasing - California Department of Toxic Substances Control
PBDE levels in breast milk are decreasing in California (Research article)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sparked a global scare over a tropical virus outbreak that officials say is worse than last year’s Ebola epidemic. They predict the Zika virus could infect as many as four million people by the end of 2016. More:  Zika Prompts Pleas for DDT - The New American

See also other articles related to Zika:

• All the Ways Humans Try to Kill Mosquitos—and Why We’re Still Losing - Time
• Report says Monsanto-linked pesticide is to blame for microcephaly outbreak - not Zika - Science Alert
• REPORT from Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Villages regarding Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and mass-spraying with chemical poisons (PDF document)
• Informe de Medicos de Pueblos Fumigados sobre Dengue-Zika y fumigaciones con venenos químicos - REDUAS (Spanish)