The U.S. military is spending billions to clean up drinking water contaminated with toxic firefighting foam while continuing to use dangerous new formulas. More:

• The U.S. military is spending millions to replace toxic firefighting foam with toxic firefighting foam–The Intercept
• The Teflon Toxin–The Intercept
• One new substance [PFHxS] added to the Candidate List, several entries updated–ECHA (EU)
• The Madrid Statement on Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)–Environmental Health Perspectives
• Contamination–The unfolding scandal of toxic water in Australian communities (video) ABC (Australia)
• Michigan bill proposes nation's lowest PFAS limit in drinking water–Mlive (US)
• Maximum Contaminant Level Recommendation for Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Drinking Water-Basis & Background –New Jersey Drinking Water Institute (US)
• Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)–US EPA
• Discovery of 40 Classes of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Historical Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFFs) and AFFF-Impacted Groundwater (Research article)
• Sorption of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Relevant to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)-Impacted Groundwater by Biochars and Activated Carbon (Research article)

While the dangers of PFOA and PFOS are widely known, very little is known about the other chemicals in their class, PFAS. Here is some of the emerging science on how other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect people. More:

• PFOA and PFOS are only the best-known members of a very dangerous class of chemicals–The Intercept
• Short-chain Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Literature review–Danish EPA)
• Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS–US EPA)
• Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds in Texas Children from Birth through 12 Years of Age (Research article)
• Perfluoroalkyl Substances during Pregnancy and Offspring Weight and Adiposity at Birth: Examining Mediation by Maternal Fasting Glucose in the Healthy Start Study (Research article)
• Cord blood gene expression supports that prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances causes depressed immune functionality in early childhood (Research article)

In regions of the world threatened by malaria, bed nets treated with insecticides are an increasingly common public health tool to fend off mosquitos. But there is growing evidence that the nets, often provided for free or at a subsidized price by hospitals and aid organizations, are being put to other uses, including fishing. More:

• Fishing with insecticide-laced mosquito nets is a global phenomenon–Mongabay
• The use of mosquito nets in fisheries: A global perspective (Research article)

Teflon pans have existed since the 1960s. And while Teflon’s powers of food repulsion are a source of wonderment, the chemical engineers behind them were unable to endow them with the equally magical property of indestructibility. More:

• The chemical industry doesn’t want you to be afraid of Teflon pans. You should be–Salon
• Questions & Answers about PFOA Blood Testing–NY Department of Health
• The toxic exposure of flamingos to per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from firefighting foam applications in Bonaire (Research article)

Long strips of bright wildflowers are being planted through crop fields to boost the natural predators of pests and potentially cut pesticide spraying. Concern over the environmental damage caused by pesticides has grown rapidly in recent years. Using wildflower margins to support insects including hoverflies, parasitic wasps and ground beetles has been shown to slash pest numbers in crops and even increase yields.

• Stripes of wildflowers across farm fields could cut pesticide spraying–The Guardian
• In-field wild flower strips–Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK
• Flower Strips for Beneficial Insects–Agroscope, Switzerland

Plastic used in some second-hand toys could pose a health risk for children as they don't meet the most up-to-date safety guidelines, a study has found. Scientists tested 200 used plastic toys they found in nurseries, thrift shops and homes across England's south-west for nine hazardous elements. Twenty toys had traces of all nine elements. More:

• Second-hand toys could harm children, scientists discover–BBC News
• Concentrations and Migratabilities of Hazardous Elements in Second-Hand Children’s Plastic toys (Research article)

A new study has found a link between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and high cholesterol levels among Inuit. The study follows earlier work that found a similar link between the group of chemicals and some kinds of diabetes. That group of pollutants includes well-known chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide DDT. More:

• Scientists find link between group of pollutants and health problems in Inuit–CBC News Canada
• Association of blood polychlorinated biphenyls and cholesterol levels among Canadian Inuit (Research article)

The Czech environmental group Arnika is ringing alarm bells. According to the results of a recent study it conducted, some children’s toys and grooming accessories, such as hair brushes, sold in the EU contain toxic substances. Arnika’s Karolína Brabcová says this is an unfortunate side product of the drive to promote plastics recycling. More:

• The downside of plastics recycling: toxins in children’s toys – Radio Praha
• No HazMat for the Holidays: Children’s Toys and Hair Accessories on the EU Market Contain Toxic Chemicals – ARNIKA
• Toy or Toxic Waste? An Analysis of 47 Plastic Toy and Beauty Products Made from Toxic Recycling (Analysis report)

PFAS is an acronym for a group of industrial chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They've been used since the '50s, in everything from firefighting foam to fast-food paper wrappers to stain-resistant textiles and carpeting, waterproof shoes and boots, non-stick pots and pans, and more. Studies have shown PFAS to be linked to various health problems — including a higher risk of some cancers. More:

• Am I at risk? How do you clean it up? A PFAS expert answers basic questions–Michigan Radio
• Proposal for coordinated health research in PFAS-contaminated communities in the United States (Research article)

An online database of corporate memos, meeting minutes, and letters related to a variety of toxic substances aims to augment public health and safety. More:

• In ToxicDocs.org, a Treasure Trove of Industry Secrets–UnDark.org
• Project TOXICDOCS (online database–Columbia University and the NY City University)

When her black cat rapidly dropped from a healthy 14 pounds to a skeletal five pounds, it was natural for Arlene Blum to investigate whether a toxic chemical in her home might be to blame. Her research as a chemist in the 1970s helped reveal the possible health hazards posed by flame retardants used in children’s sleepwear. More:

• The Toxic Chemical Whack-a-Mole Game–FairWarning
• Flame Retardants–U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• The Six Classes approach to Reducing Chemical Harm–Green Science Policy Institute
• PFAS in drinking water: the need for a coordinated strategy–Green Science Policy Institute
• Temporal Changes of PBDE Levels in California House Cats and a Link to Cat Hyperthyroidism (Research abstract)

Carpets and foam carpet pads are among the most significant sources of toxic chemicals in indoor environments — chemicals we daily inhale into our lungs and absorb through our skin. A recent report by the Healthy Building Network uncovered 44 toxic chemicals common in carpets. These chemicals are known to cause respiratory disease, heart attacks, strokes, asthma and immune and developmental health problems in children. More:

• Carpets add to wildfires’ toxic air pollution–San Francisco Chronicle (US)
• Eliminating Toxics in Carpet: Lessons for the Future of Recycling (Report)

These are stain-repellent chemicals that we use in products throughout our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, cars and airplanes. They are characterized by a fluorine-carbon backbone. And the F-C bond, the Forever-Chemical bond, is quite amazing, representing one of the strongest bonds in all of organic chemistry. More:

• These toxic chemicals are everywhere — even in your body. And they won’t ever go away – The Washington Post
• Unsafe levels of toxic chemicals found in drinking water for six million Americans – Hardvard School of Public Health
• The C8 Science Panel
• Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls – US Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
• A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)? (Research article)
• Influenza Vaccine Response in Adults Exposed to Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate (Research article)
• PFOA and High Cholesterol: Basis for the Finding of a Probable Link (Research article)

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), a group of synthetic organic chemicals with industrial and commercial uses, are of current concern. This commentary discusses scientific and risk assessment issues that impact the development of drinking water guidelines for PFAAs, including choice of toxicological endpoints, uncertainty factors, and exposure assumptions used as their basis. More:

• Key scientific issues in developing drinking water guidelines for perfluoroalkyl acids: Contaminants of emerging concern (Scientific perspective)

Evaluating the level of danger to human health from exposure to multiple chemicals in contaminated sites is a complex task. To address this difficulty, researchers have developed a new screening tool that can be incorporated into public health risk assessment, which may include polluted former industrial plants, waste dumps, or even land where pesticides have been used. This ‘hazard index’ approach indicates when risk to health is high, which organs are most affected, and where further evaluation should be conducted in the context of environmental or occupational exposure at such sites.

• New hazard index tool to aid risk assessment of exposure to multiple chemicals – EC Science for Environment Policy
• Implementation of the basic hazard index screening for health risks associated with simultaneous exposure to multiple chemicals using a standardized target organ and systems framework (Research abstract)
• ATSDR Toxic Substances Portal – US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Augmentative biological control (ABC) involves the mass production of natural enemies of pests and diseases in the form of predators, parasites or microorganisms, which are then released to control crop pests (including diseases and weeds). These living pesticides are collectively called ‘biological control agents’. As it offers an environmentally and economically sound alternative to chemical control, ABC is not just of interest to commercial growers, but to retailers, consumers and policymakers. More:

• Natural enemies of crop pests will feature in the future of environmentally friendly farming (EC Science for Environment Policy)
• Biological control using invertebrates and microorganisms:plenty of new opportunities (Research article)

The impacts of racism and segregation continue to reverberate in the health of communities of color—and one of the starkest disparities is in diabetes rates. Strikingly, a growing body of research suggests that toxics may be partly to blame. Diabetes is a global health crisis—more than 30 million individuals suffer from the disease in the U.S., and it is projected to afflict 642 million individuals worldwide by the year 2040. More:

• Analysis: The metabolic legacy of environmental injustice – Environmental Health News
• These Common Chemicals Are Linked to Type-2 Diabetes: Study – Time
• Population attributable risks and costs of diabetogenic chemical exposures in the elderly (Research article)

Letter sent to US House and Senate committees calls for "coordinated research" to protect communities from toxic stain repellant and firefighting chemicals. Highly fluorinated chemicals are contaminating the water of millions of people in the U.S. and it's time for the federal government and researchers to coordinate research and education efforts to protect communities from the toxics, according to a letter sent to U.S. House and Senate committees today. More:

• Millions are plagued with highly fluorinated chemicals in water. Feds need to act, say scientists – Environmental Health News
• Proposal for coordinated health research in PFAS-contaminated communities in the United States (Letter)

Besides lead, no contaminant in drinking water has provoked as loud a public outcry in the last two years in the United States as a class of chemicals known as perfluorinated compounds. New Jersey regulators are taking the strongest action to date on the man-made chemicals that are used in scores of household and industrial products. The state will be the first to require utilities to test for two compounds and remove them from drinking water. More:

• New Jersey Sets First Binding State Limits for Perfluorinated Chemicals in Drinking Water – Circle of Blue
• Emerging Water Contaminants Update: Uncertainty Remains Despite Regulatory Action – Marten Law

The US Department of Defense (DOD) is checking for firefighting foam contamination at nearly 400 bases, as well as in all 515 of its water supplies. So far, it’s found drinking water contamination at dozens of bases. Firefighting foams used ubiquitously by the military between 1970 and 2015 contained toxic perfluorinated compounds such as PFOS and PFOA, which are now being found at a growing number of bases. More:

• Firefighting foam contamination now at 45 military bases – The Intelligencer
• Document listing 45 U.S. military bases where contamination from firefighting foam chemicals has impacted a potable water supply (The Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times)
• DRINKING WATER: DOD Has Acted on Some Emerging Contaminants but Should Improve Internal Reporting on Regulatory Compliance (US GAO Report GAO-18-78)
• Military Bases and Fire Fighting Foam (Civilian Exposure - 21 April 2016)