OAKDALE, Minn. — The last time Amara Strande testified in front of Minnesota lawmakers, her voice was shaky, a side effect of the tumor pressing on her throat and the cancer that had spread through her lungs. More:

• She died fighting ‘forever chemicals.’ They still linger in her town  –  The Washington Post
• Fibrolamellar Carcinoma (FLC/FLHCC)  –  NCI

• Nearly half of all U.S. tap water contains forever chemicals, study says  –  The Washington Post
• East Metro | 3M PFAS contamination  –  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• PFAS and closed landfills  –  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA
• Toxic Secrets: The town that 3M built - where kids are dying of cancer  –  The Sydney Morning Herald

• Groundbreaking study shows unaffordable costs of PFAS cleanup from wastewater  –  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

• A bill for an act prohibiting PFAS in certain products  –  Minnesota Legislature

• 3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement in -forever chemicals- claims  –  Axios
• 3M Resolves Claims by Public Water Suppliers, Supports Drinking Water Solutions for Vast Majority of Americans  –  3M Company
• 3M to Exit PFAS Manufacturing by the End of 2025  –  3M News

A University of Sydney led study published today in Nature has revealed the chemical odyssey pesticides embark upon after their initial agricultural application, with environmental consequences for a range of ecosystems. More:

• Global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment  –  The University of Sydney
• Agricultural pesticide land budget and river discharge to oceans (Research abstract)

Wrappers from eight brands of butter have detectable levels of total fluorine, an indicator of the group of chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new report from Mamavation. Partnering with EHN.org, the environmental wellness blog and community had 32 wrappers from 22 brands tested by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified lab and found levels of total fluorine ranging from 11 parts per million to 112 ppm in 16 of the wrappers. More:

• Are you spreading PFAS on your morning toast?  –  EHN

• What are PFAS?  –  EHN

• Evidence of PFAS in organic pasta sauces  –  EHN
• Are you replenishing your electrolytes with a dose of PFAS?  –  EHN

• Butter Wrappers & Indications of PFAS -Forever Chemicals - Buying Guide  –  Mamavation
• Dangerous PFAS Chemicals Are in Your Food Packaging  –  Consumer Reports
• PFAS with your pizza? People who eat more takeout have higher levels of harmful chemicals in their bodies  –  EHN
• Dietary Habits Related to Food Packaging and Population Exposure to PFASs (Research article)

• Investigation: PFAS on our shelves and in our bodies  –  EHN
• Are you putting PFAS on your eyeballs?  –  EHN
• Evidence of PFAS chemicals in sports bras  –  EHN

• Tests find PFAS abundant ​in some dental floss  –  EHN
• Evidence of PFAS found in tampons — including organic brands  –  EHN

A recent study by Healthy Building Network finds 50% of paints tested contain PFAS. Chief Research Officer Teresa McGrath shares the risks and how to avoid these dangerous chemicals in paint. More:

• Opinion: Why PFAS have no place in everyday products, including paint  –  EHN

• What are PFAS?  –  EHN
• Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS (Research article)

• Paints: A Source of Volatile PFAS in Air─Potential Implications for Inhalation Exposure (Research abstract)
• Product Guidance- Interior Paint Product Guidance  –  Healthy Building Network
• HBN Transparency and Material Health Attributes Information Request Email Template (Google doc)  –  Healthy Building Network

• IN-DEPTH: For clean beauty brands, getting PFAS out of makeup might be easier said than done  –  EHN
• IN-DEPTH: What we know about PFAS in our food  –  EHN
• IN DEPTH: First-of-its kind testing points to dangers and unknowns of PFAS in clothing  –  EHN

According to a new federal study, 45 percent of the United States’s tap water supply could contain at least one form of PFAS, a class of “forever chemicals” that’s been tied to negative health outcomes. More:

• What to do if you’re worried about “forever chemicals” in your drinking water  –  Vox
• You probably have “forever chemicals” in your body. Here’s what that means.  –  Vox
• How “forever chemicals” polluted America’s water (YouTube)  –  Vox

• Tap water study detects PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ across the US  –  U.S. Geological Survey
• EWG Tap Water Database  –  EWG
• Some Bottled Water Brands Have Concerning PFAS Levels, Massachusetts Regulator Warns  –  Consumer Reports

• What should I do about PFAS in my water?  –  PBS
• Nicholas School of the Environment - Not All In-Home Drinking Water Filters Completely Remove Toxic PFAS  –  Duke
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Point-of-Use Residential Drinking Water Filters for Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) (Research article)

• 4 things to know about regulating ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water  –  PBS NewsHour

At least 45% of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of the chemicals known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. More:

• Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ taint nearly half of U.S. tap water, study estimates  –  The Washington Post

• Tap water study detects PFAS "forever chemicals" across the US  –  U.S. Geological Survey
• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  EWG

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIH
• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA

Canada recently took its first bold step to regulate the production and use of a large group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a family of environmentally persistent and toxic chemical compounds. More:

• Canada Will Start Regulating ‘Forever Chemicals.’ What to Know  –  The Tyee

• PFAS – the ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  CHEMTrust
• Draft state of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) report (Report)  –  Canada Government
• The Devil they Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science (Reseach article)

• Scientific Basis for Managing PFAS as a Chemical Class (Research article)
• Why is high persistence alone a major cause of concern? (Research article)
• Literature review of PFAS bioaccumulation data  –  US EPA
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research (Scientific review)

• An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (Research article)
• Fracking with "Forever Chemicals* (download PDF) (Report)  –  Physicians For Social Responsibility

• Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in maternal and cord blood from the maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals (MIREC) cohort study (Research article)
• How to investigate human health effects related to exposure to mixtures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: A systematic review of statistical methods (Research article)
• Plasma concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids and their determinants in youth and adults from Nunavik, Canada (Research article)

In Pierre-Bénite, just south of Lyon, a plant belonging to French chemical giant Arkema has become the focus of accusations. For decades, tonnes of PFAs, or so-called forever chemicals, have been released into the environment. More:

• Forever chemicals: French company poisoned environment near Lyon for decades, locals claim  –  EuroNews
• Lyon, Veneto and Antwerp plagued by dangerous forever chemicals, as call for an EU ban gains steam  –  EuroNews
• Rainwater everywhere on Earth unsafe to drink due to ‘forever chemicals’, study finds  –  EuroNews

Pets living near a PFAS manufacturing plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina have concerning levels of the toxic chemicals in their blood, and show evidence of health effects linked to exposure, new research finds. More:

• High levels of toxic chemicals in pets living near US manufacturing plant  –  The Guardian
• Domestic Dogs and Horses as Sentinels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Associated Health Biomarkers in Gray’s Creek North Carolina (Research abstract)
• High levels of ‘forever chemicals’ likely making alligators sick in Cape Fear River  –  The Guardian
• Cancer fears plague residents of US region polluted by ‘forever chemicals  –  The Guardian

Declining biodiversity threatens the very basis of human life. Science contends that there are many reasons for this decline. However, while much research is being conducted into the connection between species decline on the one hand and loss of habitats, invasion by non-native species or climate change on the other, science is giving less attention to the impact of chemicals on biodiversity.  More:

• How use of chemicals and biodiversity loss are connected  –  Mirage News
• Better integration of chemical pollution research will further our understanding of biodiversity loss (Scientific comment)

Firefighters’ turnout gear — the heavy clothing they don before fighting a fire — is essential protective equipment. But the textiles that make the clothing fireproof carry hazards of their own. A May report published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology concludes that “forever chemicals” known as PFAS — some linked to cancer — are present in textiles commonly used in the gear. More:

• Firefighter gear is full of cancer-causing PFAS. What can be done about it?  –  WHQR
• Firefighting gear contains ‘forever chemicals,’ report concludes  –  The Washington Post

• Researchers Pin Down PFAS Prevalence in Firefighter Gear  –  US NIST
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in New Firefighter Turnout Gear Textiles (download PDF) (Report)   –  US NIST
• Firefighters’ exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as an occupational hazard: A review (Review article)
• S.2525 - Guaranteeing Equipment Safety for Firefighters Act of 2019  –  US Congress
• PFAS in Fire Fighter Turnout Gear (Joint statement) – International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

• Widespread Occurrence of Non-Extractable Fluorine in Artificial Turfs from Stockholm, Sweden  (Research article)

• The dangers of PFAS, often called ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Washington Post
• EPA warns toxic ‘forever chemicals’ more dangerous than once thought  –  The Washington Post

CNN — Every year, the textile industry uses 1.3 trillion gallons of water to dye garments – enough to fill 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Most of this water, loaded with harmful chemicals and dyes, flows untreated into rivers and streams More:

• One-fifth of water pollution comes from textile dyes. But a shellfish-inspired solution could clean it up  –  CNN
• How Shellfish Can Help Tackle Water Pollution from Textile Dyes  –  One Green Planet

Known colloquially as “forever chemicals,” PFAS — short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a large group of chemicals that make certain products nonstick or stain resistant. Research indicates that these chemicals can be dangerous. Exposure to PFAS is linked to cancers, weakened immune systems among children, weight gain, and a wide range of other health problems. More:

• You probably have “forever chemicals” in your body. Here’s what that means.  –  Vox

• Opinion - These toxic chemicals are everywhere — even in your body. And they won’t ever go away.  –  The Washington Post
• PFAS and Your Health  –  US ATSDR

• PFAS Contamination in the U.S. (Interactive map)  –  EWG
• PFAS Could Contaminate More Than 600 Military Installations, DOD Says  –  EWG
• Response and Reporting of Aqueous Film Forming Foam Usage, and Accidental Releases/Spills on Military Installations and National Guard Facilities, (download PDF) (Memorandum)   –  U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
• Statement from the US Department of Defense to Vox.com regarding PFAS (download PDF)  –  US DoD

• Some Bottled Water Brands Have Concerning PFAS Levels, Massachusetts Regulator Warns  –  Consumer Reports
• EPA warns that even tiny amounts of chemicals found in drinking water pose risks  –  NPR
• Biden-Harris Administration Proposes First-Ever National Standard to Protect Communities from PFAS in Drinking Water  –  US EPA
• Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS  –  US EPA
• 3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems with ‘forever chemicals’  –  AP News

• Reducing chemical exposure on campus, one compostable plate at a time  –  Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Bill to ban ‘forever chemicals’ from food packaging would eliminate major source of exposure  –  EWG

• Perfluoroalkyl substances and changes in body weight and resting metabolic rate in response to weight-loss diets: A prospective study (Research article)
• Study: PFAS or “Forever Chemicals” Linked With Increased Risk of Diabetes in Midlife Women  –  AJMC
• Health risks of widely used chemicals may be underestimated  –  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer  –  US National Cancer Institute

• PFAS Chemicals Harm the Immune System, Decrease Response to Vaccines, New EWG Review Finds  –  EWG
• Perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and immunity, allergic response, infection, and asthma in children: review of epidemiologic studies (Research article)
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (download PDF) (Research article)

• Our History  –  DuPont
• Milestones Achieved  –  DuPont
• Statement from DuPont de Nemours regarding PFAS (download PDF) –  DuPont
• Statement from Chemours to Vox.com regarding PFAS (download PDF)  –  Chemours
• 3M Knew About the Harms of PFOA and PFOS  –  The Intercept
• Statement from 3M to Vox.com regarding PFAS (download PDF)  –  3M

• Reverse Osmosis  –  US FDA
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Point-of-Use Residential Drinking Water Filters for Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) (Research article)
• Low-temperature mineralization of perfluorocarboxylic acids  –  Science

Have you heard about the illness Polymer Fume Fever, also called Teflon flu? It is a condition of chest tightness, coughs and headaches caused by the fumes formed when PTFE (Teflon) is heated above 450°C. The illness was described already back in 1965 in a scientific article. More:

• Slam debunking’ three myths about fluoropolymers  –  ChemSec

• Toward a New Comprehensive Global Database of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) (download Excel)  –  OECD
• PFAS and Fluorinated Compounds in PubChem  –  PubChem

• Polymer fume fever  –  Wikipedia
• An Epidemic of Polymer-Fume Fever (Research abstract)

• Journalists tracking PFAS across Europe  –  The Forever Pollution Project
• ETC-WMGE Report 9-2021- Fluorinated polymers in a low carbon, circular and toxic-free economy (Technical report)  –  ETC - WMGE
• The top 12 PFAS producers in the world and the staggering societal costs of PFAS pollution  –  ChemSec
• Emissions from incineration of fluoropolymer materials - A literature survey (download PDF) (Research article)

• Action on ‘GenX’: Another ‘forever chemical’ added to the EU list of substances of very high concern  –  ChemTrust
• Are Fluoropolymers Really of Low Concern for Human and Environmental Health and Separate from Other PFAS? (Research article)

• The Microplastics And PFAS Connection  –  Water Online

• ECHA publishes PFAS restriction proposal  –  ECHA
• There is no Green Deal without fluorinated chemistry  –  EURACTIV

In a new study, researchers from North Carolina State University detected elevated PFAS levels in the blood of pet dogs and horses from Gray's Creek, N.C.—including dogs that only drank bottled water. The work establishes horses as an important sentinel species and is a step toward investigating connections between PFAS exposure and liver and kidney function in dogs and horses. More:

• PFAS found in blood of dogs, horses living near Fayetteville, NC  –  Phys.org
• Domestic Dogs and Horses as Sentinels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Associated Health Biomarkers in Gray’s Creek North Carolina (Research abstract)

When grown as a monoculture crop, coffee plants face a barrage of attacks by insects, bacteria and fungi. Climate change may also exacerbate these attacks. On larger coffee plantations in particular, this has led to the increased use of pesticides, the primary weapons that farmers use to combat unwanted guests. More:

• How pesticides threaten our daily cup of coffee  –  Futurity
• Alternative plant protection strategies for tomorrow's coffee (Research article)

• 'Harmless' fungicides may actually hurt bumblebees  –  Futurity
• Insecticides have gotten way more toxic to honey bees  –  Futurity

• Can snails save coffee from fungus- It's a risky idea  –  Futurity

• RNA insecticide could leave 'good' bugs alone  –  Futurity

• Common weed killer ups risk of some cancers by 40%  –  Futurity
• Herbicide may be cause of kidney disease epidemic  –  Futurity

The so-called risk-based approach to harmful chemicals is a fundamental idea upon which the chemical industry rests. Advocates of this approach argue that as long as you limit exposure to a hazardous chemical, it doesn’t pose a problem. Most chemical legislations worldwide follow this principle; that’s why there are hundreds of thousands of chemicals with unknown effects in circulation and thousands that we know are detrimental to human health and the environment. More:

• 3M argues against the risk-based approach in court  –  ChemSec
• 3M reaches tentative $10 billion pollution settlement with US cities, Bloomberg reports  –  Reuters
• 3M Company's Answer and Affirmative Defenses (download PDF) (Judicial document)  –  U.S. District Court South Carolina

Bisphenyl A (BPA) is used to make plastics and can come into our bodies through ingestion, inhalation, or touch. Though research shows BPA is mostly broken down and disposed of by our bodies in a matter of hours, it can potentially be harmful, especially over years of exposure. More:

• What BPA can do to our bodies—and how to limit your exposure  –  National Geographic

• Endocrine Disruptors from Scientific Evidence to Human Health Protection (Study) (download PDF)  –  European Parliament
• Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses (Research article)

• The adverse health effects of bisphenol A and related toxicity mechanisms (Research article)
• Bisphenol A and Risk of Metabolic Disorders (Research abstract)
• Developmental Bisphenol A Exposure Modulates Immune-Related Diseases (Research article)
• Bisphenols and Thyroid Hormone (Research article)
• Carcinogenic effects of bisphenol A in breast and ovarian cancers (Review)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water are more dangerous than previously thought — and pose health risks even at levels so low they cannot currently be detected. More:

• EPA says ‘forever chemicals’ pose a health risk even at very low levels  –  PBS
• Why PFAS are so impervious, and who is most at risk from the forever chemicals  –  PBS
• EPA unveils strategy to regulate toxic ‘forever chemicals’  –  PBS

A recent British Medical Journal Open study revealed that 39 years after the Bhopal gas explosion, the devastating industrial disaster is still haunting future generations. Males who were exposed to the gas leak while they were still in the womb were more likely to have a disability that affected their employment and also, at a 27-fold higher risk of cancer. More:

• Almost 40 Years Later, The Bhopal Gas Explosion Is Causing 27-Fold Greater Cancer Risk  –  Forbes

• The Union Carbide Disaster in Bhopal: A Review of Health Effects (Research abstract)
• Spectrum of health condition in methyl isocyanate (MIC)-exposed survivors measured after 30 years of disaster (Research abstract)
• Long-term health and human capital effects of in utero exposure to an industrial disaster: a spatial difference-in-differences analysis of the Bhopal gas tragedy (Research article)