At first, teachers at Sky Valley Education Center simply evacuated students and used fans to clear the air when the fluorescent lights caught fire or smoked with noxious fumes. When black oil dripped onto desks and floors, they caught leaks with a bucket and duct-taped oil-stained carpets. Then came the tests that confirmed their suspicions about the light ballasts. More:

• Toxic PCBs linger in schools; EPA, lawmakers fail to act  –  AP News

First there was Fred Stone, the third-generation dairy farmer in Maine who discovered that the milk from his cows contained harmful chemicals. Then came Art Schaap, a second-generation dairy farmer in New Mexico, who had to dump 15,000 gallons of contaminated milk a day. More:

• America’s Dairyland May Have a PFAS Problem  –  EcoWatch
• ‘This has poisoned everything’ – pollution casts shadow over New Mexico’s booming dairy industry  –  The Guardian
• The curious case of tainted milk from a Maine dairy farm  –  Reuters

PFAS occurrence and exposure

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIH
• Slash Allowable Levels of PFAS in Michigan’s Drinking Water: NRDC Analysis  –  NRDC
• Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)  –  US EPA
• Maine PFAS Task Force  –  Maine Department of Environmental Protection
• Who Wants Farm-to-Table Forever Chemicals?  –  Environmental Health Strategy Center
• Wisconsin DNR asks sewage treatment plants to test for PFAS  –  Wisconsin Journal

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, refers to a class of chemicals used abundantly in common household items to make objects water or fire resistant. A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives looked at levels of PFAS in people who ate fast food versus those who ate homecooked meals. More:

• Fast food increases exposure to a 'forever chemical' called PFAS  –  National Geographic
• Denmark just became the first country to ban PFAS 'forever chemicals' from food packaging  –  CNN
• Basic Information on PFAS - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US EPA
• Perfluoroalkyl substances and changes in body weight and resting metabolic rate in response to weight-loss diets: A prospective study (Research article)

Food Packaging

• Dietary Habits Related to Food Packaging and Population Exposure to PFASs (Research article)
• Fast food increases exposure to a 'forever chemical' called PFAS (Research article)

The study is the first to link certain foods and PFAS exposures in Americans and adds to mounting evidence that food packaging, especially grease-resistant boxes, wrappers, and bags used for burgers, pizza, and popcorn, is a major source of exposure to the toxics for people. More:

• PFAS with your pizza? People who eat more takeout have higher levels of harmful chemicals in their bodies  –  EHN
• Fast food packaging contains potentially harmful chemicals  –  Silent Spring Institute
• Testing finds chemical additive in microwave popcorn  –  CEH
• Denmark to ban PFAS in food packaging  –  EHN
• Oral-B Glide floss tied to toxic PFAS chemicals, study suggests  –  USA Today
• Interactive Map- PFAS Contamination Crisis- New Data Show 1,398 Sites in 49 States  –  EWG

It was a Sunday tradition at Bethany Slavic Missionary Church. After morning services, Florin Ciuriuc joined the line of worshipers waiting to fill their jugs with gallons of free drinking water from a well on the property, a practice church leaders had encouraged. More:

• Firefighting foam leaves toxic legacy in Californians’ drinking water  –  Los Angeles Times

PFAS chemicals have been identified in synthetic turf, according to lab tests performed on several samples of the artificial grass. The presence of the chemicals, members of a class that has been associated with multiple health problems, including cancer, adds to growing concerns about the grass replacement that covers many thousands of acres in parks, schools, professional sports stadiums, and practice fields around the U.S. More:

• Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Artificial Turf  –  The Intercept
• Toxic "Forever Chemicals" Infest Artificial Turf  –  Ecology Center
• DC's artificial turf fields tested for hormone disrupting chemicals  –  wusa9.com
• More Sustainable (and Beautiful) Alternatives to a Grass Lawn  –  NRDC

Synthetic Turf

• July 2019 Report: Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization  –  US EPA
• Polyethylene Composition for Artifical Turf  –  US Patent Application
• Environmental impact study on artificial football turf - Football Technology  –  FIFA
• Artificial Turf: A Health-Based Consumer Guide  –  Mount Sinai CEHC
• Synthetic Turf Hazards  –  Non Toxic Communities
• What happens to plastic and polluting artificial turf?  –  Youtube
• A Guideline to Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose and Remove Synthetic Turf Systems  –  Synthetic Turf Council
• Synthetic Turf Recycling  –  Target Technologies International Inc

Human health effects

• Soccer coach: Could artificial turf be causing cancer?  –  KOMO
• How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On?  –  NBC
• Artificial Turf: Cancers Among Players  –  Environment & Human Health Inc.

A new look at data from a historic study of elderly Japanese Americans points to a potential link between pesticide exposure and the development of cardiovascular disease. More:

• Heart Disease May Be Linked To Pesticide Exposure  –  Honolulu CB
• Association Between Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence: The Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program (Research article)

If you’re a new parent, it can be confusing to keep up with the latest recommendations about how to give your baby a healthy start. As scientists learn more about the dangers of toxic chemical exposure to babies’ developing bodies and brains, some products haven’t stood the test of time. Here are three of the biggest differences about what parents do now compared to just a generation ago. More:

• 3 Things New Parents Do Differently Today to Protect Babies’ Health  –  EWG

Personal care

• 5 Tips Safer Cosmetics Kids  –  EWG
• Nail polish chemical doubles as furniture fire retardant - Nailed  –  EWG
• Are the ingredients in your fragrance safe  –  EWG Video

Flame retardants

• Lab Bulletin- Children's Sleepwear  –  US CPSC
• Flame Retardant Roulette: Swapping One Toxic Compound for Another  –  EWG
• Mattresses - EWG’s Healthy Living- Home Guide  –  EWG

The chemicals caused lab rats to lose weight. When pregnant rats were exposed to it, their pups lost weight, too, and their pups’ skulls, ribs, and pelvises tended to develop abnormally. The compound, referred to by the number “647-42-7” in Environmental Protection Agency records, also caused discoloration of the teeth, increased liver weights, decreased how much their infants nursed, and lowered the animals’ red blood cell counts. More:

• EPA Allowed Companies to Make 40 New PFAS Chemicals despite serious risks  –  The Intercept
• Bad Chemistry  –  The Intercept Series
• The Teflon Toxin  –  The Intercept Series

Corporate Accountability

• The Devil They Knew: PFAS Contamination and the Need for Corporate Accountability, Part II  –  US Congress Hearing
• 3M Knew About the Dangers of PFOA and PFOS Decades Ago  –  The Intercept
• 3M Knew About PFAS Food Contamination in 2001  –  The Intercept

Human Exposure

• Poisoning the well: Toxic firefighting foam has contaminated U.S. Drinking Water  –  The Intercept
• New Teflon Toxin GenX Found in North Carolina Drinking Water  –  The Intercept
• Interactive Map- Suspected Industrial Discharges of PFAS  –  EWG
• GenX Exposure Study  –  Study Details

Human Health Effects

• New Teflon Toxin Causes Cancer in Lab Animals  –  The Intercept
• Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds (Research article)
• A review of sources, multimedia distribution and health risks of novel fluorinated alternatives (Research article)

Scientists have discovered that a soil microbe commonly found in New Jersey wetlands can break down one of the toughest class of pollutants, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are found in household products from non-stick pans, to dental floss, to water-repellant fabric. More:

• New Jersey Soil Microbe Shown to Break Down ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  Yale E360
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US EPA
• Defluorination of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) by Acidimicrobium sp. Strain A6 (Research article)

Bottlenose dolphins in the Channel have been found to carry a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals in their bodies, some of which have been banned for decades and which may be harming the marine mammals’ health, scientists have said. Belgian and French scientists said they detected high accumulations of industrial fluids and mercury in the blubber and skin of dolphins in the waters off the north-west coast of France. More:

• Dolphins in Channel carry 'toxic cocktail' of chemicals  –  The Guardian
• High pollutant exposure level of the largest European community of bottlenose dolphins in the English Channel (Research article)

For more than 20 years, the eastern Michigan town of Lapeer sent leftover sludge from its sewage treatment plant to area farms, supplying them with high-quality, free fertilizer while avoiding the expense of disposal elsewhere. But state inspectors ordered a halt to the practice in 2017 after learning the material was laced with one of the potentially harmful chemicals known collectively as PFAS, which are turning up in drinking water and some foods across the U.S. More:

• Concerns grow over tainted sewage sludge spread on croplands  –  BDN Maine

As a Pentagon task force looks into unsafe drinking water on its installations, a new list of Army posts has been added to the roster of bases where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been found in ground water recently. More:

• These 90 Army posts have contaminated drinking water  –  MilitaryTimes
• Here’s an updated map of military sites where DoD found cancer-causing chemicals in the drinking water  –  MilitaryTimes
• Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS  –  US EPA

A report from the National Wildlife Federation report is urging state governors and lawmakers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to take steps to address the growing issue of PFAS in the Great Lakes. The report says state action is crucial. More:

• National Wildlife Federation report urges state lawmakers to take action on PFAS  –  Michigan Radio
• Basic Information on PFAS  –  US EPA

Jamie DeWitt, a pharmacology and toxicology professor at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, said the first thing parents should know about PFAS is that children are especially sensitive to such contaminants because their bodies are developing. More:

• What toxicologist says parents should know about PFAS exposure  –  MLive
• Michigan eyes toughest limits for some PFAS in drinking water  –  MLive
• PFAS Test and Response Kit  –  Freshwater Future
• PFAS Sampling Guidance  –  Michigan.gov
• In-Home Water Filtration Systems for PFAS Reduction  –  Michigan.gov

Denmark will ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and cardboard used in food packaging within the next year under a proposal from the country's Ministry of Environment and Food. More:

• Denmark to ban PFAS in food packaging  –  EHN
• Denmark Moves To Ban Harmful PFAS Chemicals In Food Packaging  –  Huffpost
• Denmark just became the first country to ban PFAS 'forever chemicals' from food packaging  –  CNN
• Denmark to ban PFAS in paper & board in 2020  –  Food Packaging Forum
• Coop Denmark bans PFAS in cosmetics  –  Food Packaging Forum

Our results show that, starting in the foetal stage, where we live, the food we eat, the air we breathe and the chemical compounds that reach our bodies can affect blood pressure before adolescence,” said study lead author Charline Warembourg. “This is important because evidence shows that children with high blood pressure are more likely to be hypertensive as adults." Among childhood exposures, higher concentrations of copper and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – a compound used in non-stick pots and clothing – were found to lead to higher blood pressure. More:

• Many environmental exposures linked to high blood pressure in children  –  earth.com
• Early-Life Environmental Exposures and Blood Pressure in Children (Research abstract)

Wells of nearly two dozen Southern California water agencies have reportable levels of PFAS, a chemical family increasingly linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low fertility, low birth weight and ulcerative colitis. More:

• PFAS toxins found in drinking water throughout Southern California  –  Orange County Register

Flame retardants are present in thousands of everyday items, from clothing to furniture to electronics. Although these substances can help prevent fire-related injuries and deaths, they could have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Of particular concern are those known as organohalogens, which are derived from petroleum. Today, scientists report potentially less toxic, biodegradable flame retardants from an unlikely source: plants. More..

• Flame retardants—from plants  –  Phys.org
• Why kids may be at risk from vinyl floors and fire-resistant couches  –  ScienceNews
• Flame Retardant Derived From Plants  –  The Virginia Engineer

In the late 1980s, the Council of Northeast Governors (CONEG) was concerned that heavy metals in packaging would accumulate in recycled materials to levels that presented serious health concerns. The organization drafted model legislation that prohibited the intentional addition of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium to any component of packaging, including inks. It also set a 100 parts-per-million limit on the total amount of these four heavy metals. More..

• Toxic chemicals can enter food through packaging, so we made a list  –  GreenBiz
• Walmart steps up on recycling efforts – but a gap remains in the circular economy conversation  –  EDF+Business
• The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse  –  Toxics in Packaging
• Food Packaging Product Stewardship Considerations FSAP  –  FSAP
• Evaluating Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Composts with Compostable Food Serviceware Products in their Feedstocks (Research article)