Tag: PFAS

Report: TOXIC PFAS CHEMICALS DISCOVERED IN HUNDREDS OF PRODUCTS

The Intercept discusses TOXIC PFAS CHEMICALS DISCOVERED IN HUNDREDS OF PRODUCTS. Climbing ropes, guitar strings, and hand sanitizer are among the newly reported uses for the toxic “forever” chemicals.

SCIENTISTS HAVE DETAILED more than 200 uses of PFAS chemicals in 64 industrial areas, including mining, book conservation, plastics production, photography, printing, watchmaking, car manufacturing, air conditioning, fingerprinting, and particle physics. Many of the uses, which are laid out in an article published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, were previously unknown.

PFOA became famous for its use in Teflon, after the chemical leaked from a DuPont plant that made the coating for pots and pans into drinking water in West Virginia and Ohio. Then came the realization that PFOA, along with the closely related compound PFOS, was also in firefighting foam widely used by the military. Eventually it became clear that these compounds, along with others in the same class known as PFAS, were in microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, waterproof fabrics, carpeting, and dental floss. Still, the question of how these chemicals made their way from this handful of products into the bodies of most people on earth remained. The new paper sheds light on that mystery by dramatically expanding the understanding of the chemicals’ industrial purposes — and by providing the structures, uses, and unique identifying numbers for more than 1,400 individual compounds used in everyday products.

All Nonessential PFAS Should Be Phased Out, Scientists Advise

Bloomberg Law discusses All Nonessential PFAS Should Be Phased Out, Scientists Advise.

A huge group of chemicals found in everything from food packaging to medical devices is so troublesome that only essential uses should be allowed, a group of U.S. and European scientists said Tuesday.

Segments within virtually all of the chemicals—called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS—resist breakdown by sunlight, weather, and microbes, nine scientists wrote in an article published Tuesday in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.

Toxic synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ are in our water and on our plates

PBS.org discusses how toxic synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ are in our water and on our plates. What makes PFAS chemicals extremely useful—and extremely hard to get rid of—are the bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms that are almost impossible to break.

It was the start of the 2016 growing season when the farmers were told their water was contaminated. Susan Gordon and her husband had run Venetucci Farm for ten years. It was there, against the backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains, they had raised their two children. “I was devastated,” says Gordon.

By mid-summer, the farm trustee had made the decision to stop selling meat, eggs, and produce. Gordon was forced to let go of employees and cancel food-share orders. And when a hailstorm laid waste to the farm’s pumpkin crop, the fall pumpkin giveaway had to be called off too. “Everything just stopped,” she says. “To have it so abruptly ended was hard. We just felt so helpless.”

It seemed a terrible stroke of fate. But it wasn’t long before the water pollution was traced back to its source.

The farm sits less than 10 miles away from the Peterson Air Force Base, just outside of Colorado Springs, where fire foam was used for decades in firefighter training. The foam contained PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The chemicals seeped into the ground and then into the Widefield Aquifer, which supplied water to the farm—and 65,000 people.

Toxic “Forever Chemicals” under-investigated and under-regulated

Technology Networks discusses Toxic “Forever Chemicals” under-investigated and under-regulated.

Per-/poly-fluroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are everywhere. They are used in firefighting foam, car wax, and even fast-food wrappers. They’re one of the most toxic substances ever identified—harmful at concentrations in the parts per trillion—yet very little is known about them. PFAS, which is a class of over 3000 compounds, are only regulated at the state level, so while some states are working to aggressively tackle the problem, other states have chosen to ignore PFAS completely, leaving concentrations unknown and health risks unexplored.

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Study: Concern mounts over impact of toxic “forever chemicals” in the Arctic

Nunatsiaq discusses Concern mounts over impact of toxic “forever chemicals” in the Arctic. Fluorinated compounds can damage immune system, may increase COVID-19 severity.

Alarm is growing about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the Arctic, which have been found to harm peoples’ immune systems and may possibly increase the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Known as “forever chemicals,” these man-made fluorinated compounds are widely used in manufactured goods where they repel oil and water.

And when they get into the environment or into the human body, they can persist for years.

These harmful chemicals have been making their way into the Arctic’s waters and food chain.

A recently published study by Laval university researchers found that the concentration of fluorinated compounds in the blood of pregnant Nunavik women was two times higher than among the general Canadian population.

What’s Really in Your Bottled Water?

Consumer Reports discusses What’s Really in Your Bottled Water? Consumer Reports found toxic PFAS chemicals in several popular water brands, especially carbonated ones.

CR recently tested 47 bottled waters, including 35 noncarbonated and 12 carbonated ones. For each product, we tested two to four samples. The tests focused on four heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), plus 30 PFAS chemicals, which pose special concerns because they can linger in the environment almost indefinitely.

The federal government has issued only voluntary guidance for PFAS, saying the combined amounts for two specific PFAS compounds should be below 70 parts per trillion. A few states have set lower limits, of 12 to 20 ppt, according to American Water Works, an industry group. The International Bottled Water Association, another group, says that it supports federal limits for PFAS and that bottled water should have PFAS levels below 5 ppt for any single compound and 10 ppt for more than one. Some experts say the cutoff for total PFAS levels should be even lower, 1 ppt.

Long-banned toxics are still accumulating in Great Lakes birds—as new chemical threats emerge

Environmental Health News discusses how Long-banned toxics are still accumulating in Great Lakes birds—as new chemical threats emerge. We’re “at the mercy of a shifting chemical landscape.”

The two studies add to evidence that pollutants not only persist in the Great Lakes, but continue to travel up food chains to reach and endanger apex predators; and suggest that birds in the Great Lakes continue to impart toxic loads to their offspring—results that do not bode well for long-term bird populations. In addition, as birds are sentinel species, the studies show how previous and existing regulations have been inadequate at protecting all biota of the Great Lakes, including humans, from the harms of these industrial chemical pollutants.

In the first study, published online in Environment International last month, researchers examined how legacy pollutants around Lake Erie such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) continue to bioaccumulate in common terns. These migratory seabirds spend winters in Central and South America but stay near the Great Lakes from late April to mid-October, relying on the area as breeding grounds.

The second study, published in Environmental Research this month, showed how peregrine falcons accumulate perfluorinated chemical pollutants like perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have made headlines in recent years for being “forever chemicals”—since they take exceedingly long times to break down. Human PFAS exposure is linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, and elevated cholesterol, among other health detriments.

These Everyday Toxins May Be Hurting Pregnant Women and Their Babies

The New York Times discusses how These Everyday Toxins May Be Hurting Pregnant Women and Their Babies. PFAS, industrial chemicals used to waterproof jackets and grease-proof fast-food containers, may disrupt pregnancy with lasting effects.

This is the second article in a three-part series by investigative reporter Liza Gross, exploring the most dangerous toxins found in the average American home. The stories track fertility, pregnancy and early childhood development. The first, on phthalates, can be found here.

Study: Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminating School Water Systems In 18 States

IBT discusses a study that found that Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ are Contaminating School Water Systems In 18 States.

  • Schools in 18 states were found to have water systems with dangerously high levels of PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”
  • PFAS are found in common daily items and can be toxic if allowed to buildup inside the human body
  • A measure designed to address PFAS levels in public water systems passed the House but died in the Senate

A study published Thursday warned water systems for numerous schools and day care centers in 18 states may have been contaminated by toxic chemicals produced at nearby chemical plants.

The Environmental Working Group conducted the study by looking at the water systems for schools across the U.S. at risk of contamination, focusing on finding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or fluorinated “forever chemicals.”

Study: Multiple Articles on Toxic Chemicals In The Environment

EarthJustice discusses how big oil is using toxic chemicals as a lifeline – and how we can stop it. Petrochemicals are an environmental and public health disaster. Here’s what you need to know.

Star Tribune discusses a study showing how PFAS-laced water caused infertility, premature births and low birthweight. The authors of the peer-reviewed research, published in April in the journal Environmental Health, say it’s the first to establish a causal link between the chemicals and reproductive impacts.

Environmental Health News discusses how toxic pesticides and flame-retardants found in monkey, baboon, and chimpanzee poop. “We think a lot about habitat disturbance, logging, and hunting as threats to these species, while pollution has been overlooked.” The study, published today in Environmental Science and Technology, is the first to examine these chemicals in both wild and captive primates, and suggests that, as humans increasingly encroach on their habitat, such species are at a high risk of chemical contamination.

Mother Jones discusses how the Relative Abundance of Bumblebees In North America Is Estimated to Have Crashed by 97 Percent. Terrible news for bees—and for farmers. “A number of features of current intensive agricultural practices threaten pollinators and pollination,” notes a 2016 report by the FAO Intergovernmental Science-Policy platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. [Several reports are cited.]

The Guardian discusses how toxic pesticides banned for EU use exported from UK. Trade loopholes allow chemicals to be sent to developing countries as well as US, Japan and Australia.

IBTimes discusses a new Study Finds Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminating School Water Systems In 18 States. A study published Thursday warned water systems for numerous schools and day care centers in 18 states may have been contaminated by toxic chemicals produced at nearby chemical plants.  The Environmental Working Group conducted the study by looking at the water systems for schools across the U.S. at risk of contamination, focusing on finding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or fluorinated “forever chemicals.”

The Conversation discusses how chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19.