POPs in the news

14/09/2023 -

Deanna Denham Hughes still remembers the jingle that ruined her life. “Just for meeeee,” she sings, drawing out the last syllable before she breaks into a self-conscious laugh. “It’s like this little hip-hop beat.” In the ad, for Just for Me hair relaxer, Black girls wearing big earrings rap about “body and shine” and flip their silky hair in slow motion. Denham Hughes wanted to be just like them when she was a ’90s kid, and that meant she had to tame her thick, immovable Afro. More:

Human Health Effects Hair Straighteners and Cancer Toxic Fragrance Chemicals Lawsuit on Hair Straighteners Socio-cultural Aspects

The Cost of Straight Hair

Deanna Denham Hughes still remembers the jingle that ruined her life. “Just for meeeee,” she sings, drawing out the last syllable before she breaks into a self-conscious laugh. “It’s like this little hip-hop beat.” In the ad, for Just for Me hair relaxer, Black girls wearing big earrings rap about “body and shine” and flip their silky hair in slow motion. Denham Hughes wanted to be just like them when she was a ’90s kid, and that meant she had to tame her thick, immovable Afro. More:

Human Health Effects Human Health Effects: Hair Straighteners and Cancer Toxic Fragrance Chemicals Lawsuit about Hair Straighteners Socio-cultural Aspects
14/09/2023 -

Don’t get us wrong, PFAS remediation in general is a very good thing. There are so many PFAS-polluted sites out there that urgently need to be cleaned up to limit the pollution. And due to all the years of toxic release, this is something we will need for a long time. More:

PFAS Remediation Technologies PFAS Remediation Technologies: Soil Remediation

Sorry, folks. PFAS clean-ups won’t solve the problem

Don’t get us wrong, PFAS remediation in general is a very good thing. There are so many PFAS-polluted sites out there that urgently need to be cleaned up to limit the pollution. And due to all the years of toxic release, this is something we will need for a long time. More:

PFAS Remediation Technologies PFAS Remediation Technologies: Soil Remediation
14/09/2023 -

Exposure to the synthetic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) exceeds acceptable health safety levels, a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing said. More:


Europeans exposed to chemical BPA at higher than acceptable health safety levels, EU report says

Exposure to the synthetic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) exceeds acceptable health safety levels, a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing said. More:

13/09/2023 -

Gains made against malaria in Kenya and the East African region are under threat following the rapid spread of a new deadly mosquito species, according to scientists. The species was recently detected in parts of northern Kenya, raising alarms about its spread and risk of the vector-borne disease. More:

Malaria Malaria Prevalence 03-Malaria and Climate Change DDT Alternatives

Fight against Malaria in Kenya, Horn of Africa threatened by Asian vector

Gains made against malaria in Kenya and the East African region are under threat following the rapid spread of a new deadly mosquito species, according to scientists. The species was recently detected in parts of northern Kenya, raising alarms about its spread and risk of the vector-borne disease. More:

Malaria Malaria Prevalence 03-Malaria and Climate Change DDT Alternatives
13/09/2023 -

For decades, it was the secret behind the magic show of homemaking across the US. Applied to a pan, it could keep a fried egg from sticking to the surface. Soaked into a carpet, it could shrug off spills of red wine. Sprayed onto shoes and coats, it could keep the kids dry on a rainy day. More:

Human Exposure Human Health Effects Regulation

In our blood: how the US allowed toxic chemicals to seep into our lives

For decades, it was the secret behind the magic show of homemaking across the US. Applied to a pan, it could keep a fried egg from sticking to the surface. Soaked into a carpet, it could shrug off spills of red wine. Sprayed onto shoes and coats, it could keep the kids dry on a rainy day. More:

Human Exposure Human Health Effects Regulation
13/09/2023 -

In a study published in the journal Chemosphere on September 13, researchers from the United States-based non-profit organization, the Environmental Working Group, analyzed 30 common cleaning products for hazardous volatile organic compounds. In total, 193 unique hazardous chemicals were identified with potential impacts on the respiratory system, development, reproduction and cancer risk. More:


Toxicologists Discover Popular Cleaning Products Can Increase Cancer Risk

In a study published in the journal Chemosphere on September 13, researchers from the United States-based non-profit organization, the Environmental Working Group, analyzed 30 common cleaning products for hazardous volatile organic compounds. In total, 193 unique hazardous chemicals were identified with potential impacts on the respiratory system, development, reproduction and cancer risk. More:

12/09/2023 -

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) account for over 70% of the refrigerants market in the world. In Europe, they represent the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as the entire EU aviation sector. More:


Why you should care about the battle over F-gases

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) account for over 70% of the refrigerants market in the world. In Europe, they represent the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as the entire EU aviation sector. More:

12/09/2023 -

About a year ago, a team of scientists from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, went shopping for drinking straws. They bought a heap of paper and plastic ones. They bought a few made from bamboo. And they also purchased some crafted from glass and stainless steel. In all they collected 39 different brands of straws. More:

Toxic Chemicals in Plastics

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)

Should You Ditch Your Eco-Friendly Drinking Straw?

About a year ago, a team of scientists from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, went shopping for drinking straws. They bought a heap of paper and plastic ones. They bought a few made from bamboo. And they also purchased some crafted from glass and stainless steel. In all they collected 39 different brands of straws. More:

Toxic Chemicals in Plastics

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)
12/09/2023 -

Does the food packaging from your favorite fast food or fast casual restaurant contain toxic PFAS “forever chemicals?” These chemicals can make your meal more toxic and may take decades to break down in your body. More:

PFAS in Food Packaging

Fast Food & Fast Casual Restaurant Packaging & PFAS “Forever Chemicals” –Report 2023

Does the food packaging from your favorite fast food or fast casual restaurant contain toxic PFAS “forever chemicals?” These chemicals can make your meal more toxic and may take decades to break down in your body. More:

PFAS in Food Packaging
09/09/2023 -

The allure of evergreen sporting fields has also seen synthetic turf become an increasingly popular surface, driven by constraints on open space while population density increases. But concerns about microplastics, urban heat and the chemical compounds in synthetic grass have become points of contention for environment and community groups, who are calling for the surface to be banned. More:


Turf war: fake grass is growing in popularity in Australia, despite concerns about its impact

The allure of evergreen sporting fields has also seen synthetic turf become an increasingly popular surface, driven by constraints on open space while population density increases. But concerns about microplastics, urban heat and the chemical compounds in synthetic grass have become points of contention for environment and community groups, who are calling for the surface to be banned. More:

06/09/2023 -

To Dye For is an account of the toxic evolution of fast fashion — from its mauvine- and arsenic-tinted beginnings to the takeover of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It is essential reading for those who have ever experienced skin sensitivity, a rash or worse due to clothing laden with harmful chemicals. And for anyone interested in the true cost of the modern fast fashion that is polluting the world with toxins and discarded bargain clothing. More:

Natural Dyeing

‘To Dye For’: The Toxic Evolution of Fast Fashion by Alden Wicker

To Dye For is an account of the toxic evolution of fast fashion — from its mauvine- and arsenic-tinted beginnings to the takeover of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It is essential reading for those who have ever experienced skin sensitivity, a rash or worse due to clothing laden with harmful chemicals. And for anyone interested in the true cost of the modern fast fashion that is polluting the world with toxins and discarded bargain clothing. More:

Natural Dyeing
06/09/2023 -

Frozen dinners can be helpful when you don’t have the time or energy to prepare a fresh meal – quick and easy, especially given their long freezer life. But some brands include toxic chemicals you don’t want to see on your dinner plate. More:

Endocrine Disruptors Food Additive - Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) Food Additive - Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)

Freezer finds: Toxic chemicals in frozen meals may cause health harms

Frozen dinners can be helpful when you don’t have the time or energy to prepare a fresh meal – quick and easy, especially given their long freezer life. But some brands include toxic chemicals you don’t want to see on your dinner plate. More:

Endocrine Disruptors Food Additive - Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) Food Additive - Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
05/09/2023 -

Understanding the hazards, designing safe facilities, proper handling and storage, employee training are all critical aspects of ensuring safety in chemical manufacturing. More:


Safety first: A comprehensive guide to responsible chemical manufacturing

Understanding the hazards, designing safe facilities, proper handling and storage, employee training are all critical aspects of ensuring safety in chemical manufacturing. More:

05/09/2023 -

Chemical giant demands private files of neurology expert over journal article about link between paraquat and Parkinson's disease. More:

The Paraquat Papers

The Public's Right to Know

Syngenta v. scientist

Chemical giant demands private files of neurology expert over journal article about link between paraquat and Parkinson's disease. More:

The Paraquat Papers

The Public's Right to Know
04/09/2023 -

A U.S. military firefighter for 32 years, Kurt Rhodes trained and performed his duties with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a highly effective fire suppressant that he never knew contained PFAS chemicals, now known to be harmful to human health. More:

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFOS)

Human Health Impact: Firefighters and the Military PFAS Biomonitoring Decontamination Technologies

‘Like a Russian roulette’: US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure

A U.S. military firefighter for 32 years, Kurt Rhodes trained and performed his duties with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a highly effective fire suppressant that he never knew contained PFAS chemicals, now known to be harmful to human health. More:

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFOS)

Human Health Impact: Firefighters and the Military PFAS Biomonitoring Decontamination Technologies
31/08/2023 -

A human bio-monitoring study by the Federal Office of Public Health has revealed undesirable chemical residues are present in the bodies of Swiss men and women. Among them was perfluorooctane sulphonic acid, or PFOS, a substance banned in Switzerland since 2010. More:

PFAS Contamination in Europe Soil Contamination in Switzerland PFAS Toxicity

Undesirable chemicals found in bodies of Swiss residents

A human bio-monitoring study by the Federal Office of Public Health has revealed undesirable chemical residues are present in the bodies of Swiss men and women. Among them was perfluorooctane sulphonic acid, or PFOS, a substance banned in Switzerland since 2010. More:

PFAS Contamination in Europe Soil Contamination in Switzerland PFAS Toxicity
30/08/2023 -

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules for limiting PFAS in drinking water, saying these compounds pose health risks. It’s estimated that nearly half the drinking water in our country has PFAS. More:


What lessons could Va. residents learn from Gen X contamination in North Carolina?

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules for limiting PFAS in drinking water, saying these compounds pose health risks. It’s estimated that nearly half the drinking water in our country has PFAS. More:

28/08/2023 -

It’s hard to avoid phthalates, a group of chemicals that make plastic soft and flexible, in our daily lives. Phthalates are in so many things we use: food containers; shampoo and beauty and skin care products; building and gardening materials; faux leather fashion and furniture upholstery; medical devices; toys; backpacks and purses; and home accessories like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtains. The list goes on and on. More:

Phthalates

In utero exposure to plastic chemicals tied to developmental problems in toddlers

It’s hard to avoid phthalates, a group of chemicals that make plastic soft and flexible, in our daily lives. Phthalates are in so many things we use: food containers; shampoo and beauty and skin care products; building and gardening materials; faux leather fashion and furniture upholstery; medical devices; toys; backpacks and purses; and home accessories like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtains. The list goes on and on. More:

Phthalates
26/08/2023 -

The researchers started in an alligator pond and ended up at a fertility clinic. They were looking at bodily fluids — first in large reptiles, then humans — searching for a group of environmental contaminants that even the U.S. government didn’t have a handle on, clueless still about their ubiquity and potential harm. More:

PFAS Exposure and Health Impact The Right to Know Liability and Lawsuits

They couldn’t get pregnant. No one told them their ovaries held ‘forever chemicals.’

The researchers started in an alligator pond and ended up at a fertility clinic. They were looking at bodily fluids — first in large reptiles, then humans — searching for a group of environmental contaminants that even the U.S. government didn’t have a handle on, clueless still about their ubiquity and potential harm. More:

PFAS Exposure and Health Impact The Right to Know Liability and Lawsuits
24/08/2023 -

The compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), were gradually phased out after a link was found with certain health risks. It sounds like a public health success story, but new research suggests it may not be quite that simple. More:

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) PBDEs: Human Exposure

New flame retardants found in breast milk years after similar chemicals were banned

The compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), were gradually phased out after a link was found with certain health risks. It sounds like a public health success story, but new research suggests it may not be quite that simple. More:

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) PBDEs: Human Exposure
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