Thousands of chemicals are used in everyday products – in our water, our food and in the air we breathe. It’s the chemical soup of modern life and it’s virtually impossible to escape them. In this special edition of Catalyst, Dr Maryanne Demasi investigates the safety of these chemicals. More:
www.abc.net.au

The petition calls on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban these products if they contain organohalogens flame-retardants, a class of chemicals that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive, developmental and immune system problems, according to the petitioners. More:
Environmental Health News

Civil and environmental engineering professors published a study that looked at the plant switchgrass (panicum virgatum) coupled with a proteobacteria known as burkholderia xenovorans LB400. The researchers concluded that the combination was effective at removing toxic PCBs — or polychlorinated biphenyls — from contaminated soils. More:
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Au moins une vingtaine de perturbateurs endocriniens (PE) – avérés ou suspectés – seraient présents dans les cheveux des femmes urbaines en âge de procréer. Sur les 64 molécules recherchées, 7 ont été retrouvées dans la totalité des échantillons : un résidu d’insecticides pyréthrinoïdes, deux d’insecticides organophosphorés et quatre de pesticides interdits depuis plusieurs années. More:
Le Monde (French)
See also: www.lequotidiendumedecin.fr (French)

More than 97% of food samples evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) contain pesticide residue levels that fall within legal limits, with just under 55% of samples free of detectable traces of these chemicals. The findings are part of EFSA’s 2013 annual report on pesticide residues in food, which includes the results for almost 81,000 food samples from 27 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. More:
EFSA

Whale meat imported into Japan from Norway has been dumped after tests found it contained up to twice the permitted level of harmful pesticide. An official at the health ministry in Tokyo said whale meat was subject to extensive routine tests before and after import. Tests on the whale meat imported in April showed 0.2 parts per million of aldrin and dieldrin combined, in addition to 0.07 ppm of chlordane. More:
The Japan Times

Una serie de estudios científicos, que acaban de ser presentados simultáneamente en Bruselas y San Diego (California) coincidiendo con la "cumbre" mundial anual de los endocrinólogos, han revelado un dato asombroso: la exposición humana a las sustancias disruptoras endocrinas en la UE puede costar entre 157.000 y 270.000 millones de euros anuales. Casi nada. En cabeza estarían los costes derivados de los efectos de algunos pesticidas organofosforados sobre el cerebro infantil. More:
Estrella Digital (Spanish)

Exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals is likely leading to an increased risk of serious health problems costing at least $175 billion (U.S.) per year in Europe alone, according to a study published Thursday. Chemicals that can mimic or block estrogen or other hormones are commonly found in thousands of products around the world, including plastics, pesticides, furniture, and cosmetics. More:
National Geographic

A growing body of work suggests that exposure to certain chemicals—found in nature as well as industry—may play an essential role by driving the body to produce and store surplus fat in its tissues. More:
Scientific American

Obésité, diabète, troubles de la fertilité et neuro-comportementaux : la part de ces maladies et troubles chroniques attribuable aux perturbateurs endocriniens (PE) coûtent chaque année à l’Union européenne plus de 157 milliards d’euros, soit environ 1,23 % du produit intérieur brut (PIB) de l’Union. More:
Le Monde (French)

The Federal Executive Council in Nigeria approved a national policy framework on ‘Nigeria Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Management Project’ to monitor, manage and control the persistent organic pollutants and protect human health and the environment. It is in line with efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate the use and sources of PCBs contamination from the environment. More:
Channels Television - Nigeria

On 1 January 2015 California implemented the first U.S. rule mandating that certain products containing polyurethane foam be labeled to identify whether they contain chemical flame retardants. Furniture industry experts predict flame-retardant-free couches, chairs, and other padded furnishings and products will be popular with consumers and large purchasers. More:
Environmental Health Perspectives

A study of frozen ice cores from the Tibetan Himalayas has shown that international agreements on phasing out the use of toxic persistent organic pollutants are working. Lancaster University scientists worked with colleagues from China and Germany to collect and analyse samples from ice cores which had been laid down over 30 years, to show how residues of Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the environment have changed over time. More:
PHYS ORG

Un estudio del hielo perpetuo del Himalaya tibetano ha demostrado que los acuerdos internacionales sobre eliminación el uso de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes están funcionando. Científicos de la Universidad de Lancaster trabajaron con colegas de China y Alemania para recoger y analizar muestras de núcleos de hielo de más de 30 años, para mostrar cómo los residuos de sustancias perfluoroalquilos (PFAS) en el medio ambiente han cambiado con el tiempo. More:
europa press (Spanish)

Michigan’s bald eagles are among the most contaminated birds on the planet when it comes to phased-out flame retardant chemicals in their livers, according to new research. The study found that the top predators in the Great Lakes are highly exposed to banned flame retardants, still widespread in the environment. More:
Environmental Health News

México ha eliminado entre el 2009 y 2014, 932 toneladas de bifenilos policlorados, de 33,000 toneladas que se estima existen en equipos con uso actual en zonas poblacionales, instituciones educativas y empresas del sector privado y público. More:
El Economista (Spanish)

For the first time, a new study borrows a medical research tool to pinpoint fluorochemicals in the blood of firefighters, identifying novel compounds that have never before been publicly reported. More:
Chemical & Engineering News

The bald eagle population, once so decimated by the pesticide DDT that only a single pair nested in New Jersey, is on the rebound. The statewide population now numbers 156 pairs, thanks to the efforts of the federal government and several generations of conservationists. More:
NorthJersey.com

West Palm Beach, Fla. — Rising from a denuded landscape not far from this area’s famed beaches, the nation’s first new commercial garbage incinerator in 20 years is about to be fired up, ready to blast up to 3,000 tons of trash a day into electricity for thousands of houses. More:
The New York Times

Levels of the flame retardants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have dropped dramatically in the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay since government regulations led to an industry phase-out a decade ago. Action was taken on PBDEs in the US when evidence emerged that the chemicals can bioaccumulate and may be toxic. More:
ChemistryWorld