Every February half-term, I think back to the French ski trips I went on as a teenager. I remember the freshness of the cold, crisp air as I snow-ploughed my way down the slopes. Escaping to somewhere seemingly so pristine felt like a world away from where I grew up in London. Back then, I never considered that snow could be a potential source of exposure to a harmful chemical. More:

• Forever chemicals in ski wax are being spread on snowy slopes  –  The Conversation

• About PFASs - Portal on Per and Poly Fluorinated Chemicals  –  OECD
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Pennysilvania Department of Health
• PFAS and Forever Chemicals  –  Drinking Water Inspectorate

• Per and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) target and EOF analyses in ski wax, snowmelts, and soil from skiing areas (Research article)
• Skiers leaving ‘forever chemicals’ on pistes, study finds  –  The Guardian

• All The Stuff in Your Home That Might Contain PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  TIME

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and thyroid cancer risk (Research article)
• Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and neurodevelopment in 2-year-old children: A prospective cohort study (Research article)
• Exposure to high levels of PFAS through drinking water is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes—findings from a register-based study in Ronneby, Sweden (Research abstract)
• Perfluorinated alkyl acids in the serum and follicular fluid of UK women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing fertility treatment and associations with hormonal and metabolic parameters (Research abstract)

• Grouping of PFAS for human health risk assessment: Findings from an independent panel of experts (Research article)
• Utah's famed Park City ski resort bans certain brands of ski wax after cancer-causing 'forever chemicals' from the products are found in the city's drinking water  –  Daily Mail Online
• Scientists call on ministers to cut limits for ‘forever chemicals’ in UK tap water  –  The Guardian

News reports of cancers potentially linked to a North Carolina State University building that was shut down in November after the discovery of environmental contaminants prompted a faculty vote of no-confidence in university leadership this week and caused a dust-up between university and federal officials over who halted a federal evaluation into the building. More:

• Reports Of Cancers Linked To NC State Building Spur Controversy: Here’s What’s Happening  –  Forbes

• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Texas Department of Health State Services
• Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls  –  US EPA

• PCB and dioxin-like PCB in indoor air of public buildings contaminated with different PCB sources – deriving toxicity equivalent concentrations from standard PCB congeners (Research abstract)
• Joint Sealants: An Overlooked Diffuse Source of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Buildings (Research abstract)
• An Unrecognized Source of PCB Contamination in Schools and Other Buildings (Research article)

• New test results from NC State building show PCB levels up to 38 times higher than EPA standards  –  NC Newsline
• 5 On Your Side confirms 40 cancer cases connected to NC State building (Video)  –  WRAL NEWS
• More than 100 people who spent time in Poe Hall report cancer diagnosis to WRAL (Video)  –  WRAL NEWS
• Cancer cases from people with connections to NC State building keep piling up (Video)  –  WRAL NEWS

• Indoor environmental investigation report - initial phase (Report) (download PDF)  –  North Carolina State University

Longtime University of Washington goalies coach Amy Griffin is not an activist by nature. But 15 years ago, she identified what she believed was a trend that she couldn’t ignore in good conscience — young goalies being diagnosed with blood cancer. More:

• Does playing soccer on artificial turf increase cancer risk, especially in kids?  –  KUOW

• Dam owner pleads guilty after spilling turf, tire bits in Puyallup River  –  KUOW
• Athletic Playing Fields and Artificial Turf: Considerations for Municipalities and Institutions (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Toxic Use Reduction Institute

• Environmental and Health Impacts of Artificial Turf: A Review (Research abstract)
• Artificial-turf playing fields: Contents of metals, PAHs, PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs, inhalation exposure to PAHs and related preliminary risk assessment (Research abstract)
• Health Risk Assessment for Artificial Turf Playgrounds in School Athletic Facilities: Multi-route Exposure Estimation for Use Patterns (Research abstract)
• Recycled rubber in artificial turf doesn't appear to cause cancer, state says  –  KUOW

NORTH CAROLINA — A superior court judge put forward an order Wednesday to make DuPont’s subsidiaries liable for PFAS contamination caused by the original company if deemed responsible for damages alleged in a lawsuit filed by attorney general Josh Stein. More:

• Superior Court rules in favor of AG Stein’s suit to put DuPont’s subsidiaries on the hook for PFAS damages  –  Port City Daily

• GenX Chemicals Toxicity Assessment (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Human Health Toxicity Values for Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Dimer Acid and Its Ammonium Salt, Also Known as “GenX Chemicals” (Report) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Chemours’ fight against GenX health advisory goes to court, holds national ramifications  –  Port City Daily

Dust is full of seemingly benign detritus, but experts say it may also contain contaminants with concerning health implications. More:

• Dust busters: what’s really in household dust and how to get rid of it  –  The Guardian

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Fact Sheet (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Migration of Contaminated Soil and Airborne Particulates to Indoor Dust (Research abstract)
• Novel Insights into the Dermal Bioaccessibility and Human Exposure to Brominated Flame Retardant Additives in Microplastics (Research article)
• Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects (Research article)
• [House Dust and Its Adverse Health Effects] (Research abstract)

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Wildfire Smoke Accumulate on Indoor Materials and Create Postsmoke Event Exposure Pathways (Research abstract)
• Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk  –  Climate Central

Young adults whose diets are rich in unsweetened teas, processed meats and takeout foods could be increasing their exposure to “forever chemicals,” a new study has found. More:

• Consumption of teas, takeout, hot dogs could come with a side of ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Hill

• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet  –  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Technical Fact Sheet Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) (Factsheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA

• Associations of dietary intake and longitudinal measures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in predominantly Hispanic young Adults: A multicohort study (Research article)
• Longitudinal study links PFAS contamination with teas, processed meats and food packaging  –  Newsroom
• Lifestyle Factors and Genetic Variants Associated to Health Disparities in the Hispanic Population (Research article)

Premature births are on the rise, yet experts aren’t sure why. Now, researchers have found synthetic chemicals called phthalates used in clear food packaging and personal care products could be a culprit, according to a new study. More:

• Foods we eat are covered in plastics that may be causing a rise in premature births, study says  –  CNN

• Plasticisers (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  European Plasticisers
• The Plastic Chemicals Hiding in Your Food  –  Consumer Reports
• Phthalates Business Guidance & Small Entity Compliance Guide  –  US Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Bisphenols & Phthalates  –  Green Science Policy Institute

• Role of Environmental Chemicals in Diabetes and Obesity: A National Toxicology Program Workshop Review (Research article)
• Phthalates might interfere with testicular function by reducing testosterone and insulin-like factor 3 levels (Research article)
• A Cancer Risk Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate: Application of the New U.S. EPA Risk Assessment Guidelines (Research abstract)

• Chemicals used in plastic food packaging linked to 10% of preterm births in 2018  –  Grist
• Placental outcomes of phthalate exposure (Research article)
• Prenatal phthalate exposure and adverse birth outcomes in the USA a prospective analysis of births and estimates of attributable burden and costs (Research article)
• An overview of adult health outcomes after preterm birth (Research article)

• The Association between Asthma and Allergic Symptoms in Children and Phthalates in House Dust: A Nested Case–Control Study (Research article)
• Phthalates and Children’s Health (Research abstract)
• Phthalates and Baby Boys: Potential Disruption of Human Genital Development (Research abstract)
• Exposure to phthalates: Reproductive outcome and children health. A review of epidemiological studies (Research abstract)

Scott Minor is superintendent for the water system serving the area around Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, in southern Maine, a growing region where summer tourists flocking to the coast swell the demand for water. Minor's water system had identified a safe, out-of-the-way spot for a well to supplement the water supply. Imagine Minor's surprise when tests of the well water revealed that it was contaminated by chemicals known as PFAS. More:

• These Companies Are Trying to Remove Toxic Forever Chemicals From Our Water  –  Newsweek

• PFAS in Drinking Water (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• EPA’s Proposal to Limit PFAS in Drinking Water (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation  –  US EPA

• Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' in Your Everyday Items Are Causing Cancer  –  Newsweek
• PFAS, the 'Forever Chemicals,' Present in Nearly Half of U.S. Homes  –  Newsweek

• Getting ‘forever chemicals’ out of drinking water: EWG’s guide to PFAS water filters  –  EWG

Members of Parliament have called for "health to come first" and not economic interests in front of the gate of the Chemours chemical plant in Dordrecht. Geert Gabriëls (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Ines Kostić (Party for the Animals), together with provincial and local politicians from the SP, were among the 200 protesters at the gate of the plant, which has been emitting large quantities of harmful PFAS for years. On Saturday, residents were demonstrating in front of the chemical company Chemours in Dordrecht for the 200th time. More:

• MPs call on Chemours to put health first, campaign for PFAS ban  –  NL Times
• Residents demonstrate at chemical company Chemours for the 200th time  –  NL Times

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

• Occurrence, Fate, and Related Health Risks of PFAS in Raw and Produced Drinking Water (Research article)
• Distribution and sources of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the River Rhine watershed (Research abstract)

• Environmental contamination and human exposure to PFASs near a fluorochemical production plant: Review of historic and current PFOA and GenX contamination in the Netherlands (Research article)
• Longitudinal poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in Dutch infants (Research article)
• Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a large number of wild and farmed aquatic animals collected in the Netherlands (Research article)

Vets should limit the use of flea treatments containing pesticides on dogs and cats, scientists have said, after a study revealed the vast amount of toxic substances in them that end up in rivers. More:

• Vets urged to cut pesticide flea treatments amid river pollution fears  –  The Guardian

• Fipronil Technical Fact Sheet (Fact sheet)  –  National Pesticide Information Center
• Imidacloprid Technical Fact Sheet  –  US National Pesticide Information Center

• Pet flea treatments poisoning rivers across England, scientists find  –  The Guardian
• Bee-killing pesticides banned in EU found at unsafe levels in English rivers  –  The Guardian

• Multiple neonicotinoids in children’s cerebro-spinal fluid, plasma, and urine (Research article)

The Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA, can help protect us from harmful chemicals. But first, the government must fully enforce it. More:

• The Toxic Chemicals Hiding in Our Homes, and How We Can Reduce Them  –  Earthjustice

• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet  –  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Breaking Down Toxic PFAS  –  Earthjustice
• Here's How To Find Out If There's Teflon In Your Beauty Products  –  Huffpost

• Toxic Taps  –  Earthjustice
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in United States tapwater: Comparison of underserved private-well and public-supply exposures and associated health implications (Research article)

• Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Ban on Trichloroethylene to Protect Public from Toxic Chemical Known to Cause Serious Health Risks  –  US EPA
• EPA Proposes Rule to Strengthen TSCA Risk Evaluation Process to Protect Workers and Communities  –  US EPA
• EPA proposes to ban all uses of cancer-causing contaminant TCE  –  CNN

• Seven Ways This New Chemical Law Will Make You Safer  –  Earthjustice
• EPA’s secret chemical problem, unveiled (Article) (download PDF)  –  Earthjustice

The state of Connecticut is suing 28 chemical manufacturers that it alleges are responsible for “knowingly contaminating” the state’s waters and natural resources and harming public health with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” More:

• Connecticut Sues 28 Firms for Alleged Contamination by ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  Insurance Journal

• PFOA in Fire-Fighting Foams factsheet (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Firefighting Foams PFAS vs Fluorine-Free foams  –  U.S. Fire Administration
• Fire Test Performance of Eleven PFAS-Free Class B Firefighting Foams Varying Fuels, Admixture, Water Types and Foam Generation Techniques (Research article)

• 3M Will Stop Producing ‘Forever Chemical’ PFAS by End of 2025  –  Insurance Journal

• PFOS and PFOA Private Cleanup Costs at Non-Federal Superfund Sites  –  U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• 3M Reaches Tentative $10.3B Deal Over ‘Forever Chemicals’ Claims  –  Insurance Journal
• 22 States Move to Block 3M’s $10.3 Billion PFAS Deal  –  Insurance Journal

ChemSec and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) published blood test results showing that key European leaders have tested positive for so-called ‘forever chemicals’ in their bodies. Up to seven PFAS were found in all tested individuals with five politicians exceeding existing levels of concern. The tests show that no one is immune to the presence of PFAS — not even high-level European officials. More:

• Blood tests show high-level EU politicians are polluted by PFAS  –  ChemSec

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment: Terminology, Classification, and Origins (Research article)
• Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Research article)
• PFAS Concentrations in Soils: Background Levels versus Contaminated Sites (Research article)

• Top EU officials have toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in their blood  –  POLITICO
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Breast Milk: Concerning Trends for Current-Use PFAS (Research abstract)

• Pharma, agri companies face threat of EU ban on some ‘forever chemicals’  –  POLITICO
• Arkema faces criminal charges for forever chemical contamination in Lyon region  –  Le Monde
• Swedish court ruling unlocks potential for more PFAS lawsuits  –  ChemSec
• Dutch court rules Chemours liable for environmental damage caused by PFAS  –  Reuters

• Toxics industry fights back against proposed 'forever chemicals' ban  –  Corporate Europe Observatory
• EU Commission to drop chemicals law reform as a gift to polluters  –  European Environmental Bureau

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are good at cleaning up common pollutants but often miss tiny amounts of other harmful substances, known as trace organic pollutants. More:

• Study reveals ecological threat of trace organic pollutants in China's wastewater effluents  –  Phys.org

• Trace organic compounds (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Virginia Biosolids Council
• PFAS, the “forever chemicals” made simple  –  Clean Water Action
• Bisphenol S (BPS) Fact Sheet (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Biomonitoring California

• Unveiling the existence and ecological hazards of trace organic pollutants in wastewater treatment plant effluents across China (Research article)
• The occurrence of emerging trace organic chemicals in wastewater effluents in Saudi Arabia (Research article)
• Occurrence and fate of emerging trace organic chemicals in wastewater plants in Chennai, India (Research abstract)

• Removal of trace organic contaminants from domestic wastewater: A meta-analysis comparison of sewage treatment technologies (Research abstract)
• Occurrence of trace organic contaminants in wastewater sludge and their removals by anaerobic digestion (Research abstract)
• Sequential biofiltration – A novel approach for enhanced biological removal of trace organic chemicals from wastewater treatment plant effluent (Research abstract)

It’s not just mothers who transfer toxic chemicals and their negative health impacts to their children. New research now reveals that fathers are also responsible for passing on the effects of past chemical exposure to their offspring. More:

• Fathers transfer past chemical exposure to their children  –  ChemSec

• Associations of paternal and maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure with cord serum reproductive hormones, placental steroidogenic enzyme and birth weight (Research abstract)
• Maternal and Paternal Preconception Serum Concentrations of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Relation to Birth Outcomes (Research abstract)
• Maternal and paternal serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the secondary sex ratio (Research abstract)

• Cumulative Chemical Exposures During Pregnancy and Early Development (Research article)
• Study finds alarming levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in US mothers’ breast milk  –  The Guardian

• Pesticide-induced multigenerational effects on amphibian reproduction and metabolism (Research article)

The EU plans to stop the use of the harmful “forever” chemicals in many industries but not their inclusion in pesticides. But PFAS-based pesticides are widely used in agriculture and this is unacceptable, Harrie Timmer of water company umbrella orginisation Vereniging van Waterbedrijven Nederland (Vewin) told the Financieele Dagblad. More:

• PFAS in pesticides are a threat to drinking water: FD  –  DutchNews

• Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a large number of wild and farmed aquatic animals collected in the Netherlands (Research article)

• Environmental contamination and human exposure to PFASs near a fluorochemical production plant: Review of historic and current PFOA and GenX contamination in the Netherlands (Research article)
• Longitudinal poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in Dutch infants (Research article)
• Risk assessment of exposure to PFAS through food and drinking water in the Netherlands  –  National institute for Public Health and the Environment
• Beating cancer — the role of Europe’s environment  –  European Environment Agency

• Chemours plant kept info about emissions secret, court says  –  DutchNews

Children's jackets and overalls sold in Europe contain extremely dangerous substances, warns a new study, conducted by a Czech NGO Arnika and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). The most prevalent among the toxic "Forever Chemicals” found in children's outdoor clothing is the globally banned, exceptionally persistent perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). More:

• Kids' jackets contain dangerous “Forever chemicals” including globally banned PFOA. Experts call for universal ban  –  Arnika

• Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  Boston University
• PFOS (Fact sheet) (download PDF)  –  OEHHA

• Maternal serum concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Research article)

• Toxics in Our Clothing (Report)  –  Arnika

• PFAS-Free Apparel Brands For Nontoxic Clothing  –  The Good Trade

ProPublica journalist and filmmaker Liz Moughon on making a documentary that captures the impossible choices facing sleep apnea patients who relied on the dangerous Philips DreamStation breathing machines. More:

• How Patients and Doctors Are Navigating the Fallout of the Massive Recall of Philips Breathing Machines  –  ProPublica

• Philips Recalled Breathing Machines in 2021. Chemicals of “Concern” Found in Replacement Machines Raised New Alarm.  –  ProPublica
• Philips Kept Complaints About Dangerous Breathing Machines Secret While Company Profits Soared  –  ProPublica
• ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Have Sued the FDA for Records Related to Recalled Breathing Machines  –  ProPublica
• We Spent a Year Investigating the Philips CPAP Recall. Here’s How We Did It.  –  ProPublica

• Formaldehyde Hazard Recognition  –  Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Explained: Silicone sound abatement foam used in DreamStation 2 and the sleep and respiratory care devices remediated as part of the June 2021 Philips Respironics recall*  –  Philips
• Philips provides update on Philips Respironics’ PE-PUR sound abatement foam test and research program  –  Philips
• The Human Toll of Philips’ Massive CPAP Recall: With Every Breath (YouTube)  –  ProPublica

• FDA Provides Update on Recall of Certain Philips Respironics Breathing Assistance Machines  –  US Food & Drug Administration
• Carefully Monitor Philips DreamStation 2 CPAP Machines for Signs of Overheating: FDA Safety Communication  –  US Food & Drug Administration
• U.S. Senator Expands Call for Crackdown on Philips Respironics  –  ProPublica

The study, led by the University of Tasmania's School of Natural Sciences, tested for substances known as PFAS in the penguins and their habitat on Tasmanian coastlines — from the Derwent estuary to King Island. More:

• Toxic PFAS chemicals found in little penguin colonies around Tasmania, new study says  –  ABC News

• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet (Fact sheet)  –  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• An Overview of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment: Source, Fate, Risk and Regulations (Research article)
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Subsurface Environments: Occurrence, Fate, Transport, and Research Prospect (Research abstract)

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in little penguins and associations with urbanisation and health parameters (Research article)
• A baseline for POPs contamination in Australian seabirds: little penguins vs. short-tailed shearwaters (Research abstract)

• Major study of PFAS firefighting foam's impact on communities finds limited evidence of disease links  –  ABC News

For years, researchers studying DEET—the chemical that’s widely used in insect repellants—have noted how in some cases it can harm brain cells, cause seizures and adversely affect the central nervous system. Now a group of scientists at Harvard University have found that the substance may jeopardize reproductive functions, too. More:

• Does the Insect Repellent DEET Affect Reproductive Systems?  –  Inside Climate News

• ToxFAQsTM for DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide)  –  Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
• Diethyltoluamide  –  PubChem

• Altered gene expression linked to germline dysfunction following exposure to DEET (Research article)
• Evidence for inhibition of cholinesterases in insect and mammalian nervous systems by the insect repellent deet (Research article)
• Too much DEET can cause brain degeneration: study  –  CBC News
• Seizure following brief exposure to the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (Research abstract)

• Malaria Cases in Florida and Texas Raise Prospect of Greater Transmission in a Warmer Future  –  Inside Climate News