Contamination of so-called forever chemicals in European waters often exceeds regulatory thresholds set to reduce potential risks to human health and the environment, the EU´s environment agency warned on Tuesday.​

Presenting an overview of the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -- often called forever chemicals -- the European Environment Agency (EEA) said perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which was banned in 2019, was found “throughout European waters.”

·         ‘Forever chemicals’ widespread in European waters: report – The News

PFAS exposure

• Free bottled water for NSW town after high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ found in bore water – Guardian
• Cost to clean up toxic PFAS pollution could top £1.6tn in UK and Europe – Guardian
• PFAS: In France, the cost of decontamination is vastly underestimated – Le Monde
• UK farmland being contaminated by ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancers, report finds – Guardian
• Bloodletting recommended for Jersey residents after PFAS contamination – Guardian
• Smartwatch bands can contain ‘major’ levels of toxic PFAS, study finds – Guardian
• PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Used on Farms Could Significantly Raise Health Risks, EPA Draft Guidelines Warn – EcoWatch
• ‘High-risk sites’: where are the UK’s ‘forever chemical’ hotspots? - Guardian

The GEF Council has approved a groundbreaking global programme dedicated to the elimination PCBs. This ambitious initiative combines USD 43.8 million in GEF grant funding with USD 163 million in partner co-financing and represents a major milestone towards meeting the Stockholm Convention’s 2025 and 2028 PCB elimination goals and facilitating the energy transition to reduce the effects of climate change.

New research aimed at identifying which US neighborhoods face increased exposure to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” found those living near “superfund” sites and other major industrial polluters, or in areas with limited access to fresh food, generally have higher levels of the dangerous compounds in their blood.

The study looked at hundreds of people living in souther​n California and found those who do not live within a half mile of a grocery store have 14% higher levels of PFOA and PFOS – two common PFAS compounds – in their blood than those who do.

• Study links higher PFAS levels to ‘superfund’ sites and limited fresh-food access – The Guardian

PFAS exposure and contamination

• Prevalence of PFAS 'forever chemical' in the environment likely significantly underestimated: study – abc.net.au
• Makeup, fragrance and hair dye use in pregnancy leads to more PFAS in breast milk – study – The Guardian
• Whistleblowing scientist accuses 3M of PFAS contamination cover-up in Minnesota – CBS News

PFAS breakdown

• ‘Forever’ chemicals can be destroyed with clever chemistry — now test these techniques outside the lab - Nature

A recent study by Florida International University found 21 types of PFAS “forever chemicals” in South Florida’s rainwater. The evidence in the study suggests that some of the PFAS that end up in South Florida are carried over vast distances in the atmosphere via the water cycle.

• PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ found in South Florida rain, study says – SunSentinel

PFAS Exposure

• Cost of dealing with PFAS problem sites ‘frightening’, says Environment Agency – The Guardian
• Maine asks hunters to avoid eating deer, turkey in some areas because of PFAS contamination – AP News
• Drinking water in France threatened with non-compliance due to 'forever chemical' – Le Monde
• ​Some in industry making quick moves to PFAS alternatives – Plastic News

Three US states are formally demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begin regulating PFAS “forever chemical” air emissions, as the toxic threat that the pollution poses to the environment and human health comes into sharper focus.

• Three US states call on environmental agency to regulate PFAS air emissions – Guardian

Recycling PFAS

• Scientists invent filter that can recycle PFAS into renewable batteries – ABC.net.au

PFAS Exposure

• How can I get ‘forever chemicals’ out of my life? - The New York Times
• ​Widespread PFAS pollution found throughout Arctic, in humans and wildlife – The New Lede

But a growing body of research shows that this black sludge, made from the sewage that flows from homes and factories, can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals thought to increase the risk of certain types of cancer and to cause birth defects and developmental delays in children.

• Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals – New York Times

PFAS Exposure

• What exactly are 'forever chemicals'—and can we move beyond them? – Phys.org
• How do I know if my personal care products contain forever chemicals? Experts weigh in – CBS News

PFAS regulations

• Industry acts to head off regulation on PFAS pollution from semiconductors – The Guardian
• Scientists tied to chemical industry plan to derail PFAS rule on drinking water – The Guardian

PFAS degradation

• ​All-in-one solution captures and destroys ‘forever chemicals’ using light – New Atlas

This reveals the composition of carbon isotopes in the molecule and gives the chemical its fingerprint, a feat that had not previously been achieved with forever chemicals.

·         Forever chemical pollution can now be tracked – Innovation News Network

Forever chemicals exposure

• New research shows how PFAS could be affecting New Hampshire’s nursing moms, babies – New Hampshire Bulletin
• Who's to blame for PFAS in our drinking water? Here's what hundreds of cities say – USA Today
• PFAS 'forever chemicals' found in water filtration plants and platypus livers in NSW – ABC.net Australia
• Are fluorinated drugs PFAS? – Chemical and Engineering News
• Malfunctioning Fire Suppression System Releases 1,600 Gallons of PFAS-Containing Foam in Maine – EcoWatch
• ​Health-threat ‘forever chemicals’ removed from water with 3D-printed ceramic ink – water Magazine

The testing conducted by the Mamavation consumer advocacy blog comes just as researchers found human skin absorbs the chemicals at much higher levels than previously thought.

• Some condom and lubricant brands contain alarming levels of PFAS – study – Guardian

‘Forever chemicals’ exposure

• It’s ‘almost impossible’ to eliminate toxic PFAS from your diet. Here’s what you can do - Guardian
• What to know about 'Teflon flu' amid a rise in cases in the US – Good morning America
• Bill mandating end to use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams becomes law in Alaska - Alaskabeacon
• Testing for "forever chemicals" near Army sites – EHN.org
• Is using plastic or products made with PFAS harming your health? – abc.net.au​

However, they have also found their way into everyday consumer products, raising public concern due to their harmful effects on people's health.

“PFAS are these man-made chemicals, they don't occur naturally, we have to make them in the lab,” Dr Shelley Liu, associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai."

• How to avoid PFAS: 5 common items to avoid to minimise exposure to 'forever chemicals' – Euronews

‘Forever chemicals’ exposure

• Toxic PFAS absorbed through skin at levels higher than previously thought – Guardian
• Lithium-ion batteries have a forever chemical problem – The Verge
• Researchers identify multiple 'forever chemical' contamination hot spots in US – Phys.org

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS are a group of chemicals that have been used in manufacturing and added to consumer products since the 1950s. They allow grease and dirt to slide off carpets and textiles, protect industrial equipment from heat damage and corrosion, and help to smooth and condition the skin. They are also used in jet engines, medical devices, refrigeration systems, the construction industry and electrical devices. However, they can take hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade after the products they have been used in are thrown away. This means that if they leak into the soil or water, which they often do, they could remain there for centuries.”

• What are PFAs? Everything you need to know about the ‘forever chemicals’ surrounding us every day – The Guardian

Occupational Exposure and Human Health Risks

• PFAS : Tests sur la femme – RTS
• PFAS: Firefighters have a 'front row seat' for contamination by 'forever chemicals' – Le Monde
• French lawmakers vote to ban 'forever chemicals' except in cooking utensils – Le Monde
• Navy explores how to get ‘forever chemicals’ out of sailor uniforms – NavyTimes

PFAS transformation & degradation

• Researchers identify potential microbes and genes that impact forever chemicals – phys.org
• Research seeks solution to PFAS chemicals in waste – phys.org

“A report published on Monday, May 27 revealed "widespread contamination" of waterways in Europe by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a "forever chemical" as little known as it is regulated, resulting in particular from the degradation of pesticides belonging to the large family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”

• The Seine and other European rivers contaminated by a 'forever chemical' that has gone under the radar -  le Monde

‘Forever chemicals’ in water streams

• Q&A: What the EPA limits on 'forever chemicals' in water mean – Medical Press
• Rapidly rising levels of TFA ‘forever chemical’ alarm experts – The Guardian
• Water, chemical industries challenge Biden’s rule to restrict ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – The Hill.com
• Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ ubiquitous in Great Lakes basin, study finds – The Guardian
• There are ‘forever chemicals’ in our drinking water. Should standards change to protect our health? -  The Conversation
• Luxembourg waters heavily contaminated by 'forever chemical' TFA – RTL
• Using microbial degradation to break down chlorinated PFAS in wastewater – phys.org

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are the subject of a pivotal study by Stockholm University’s Department of Environmental Science. This research uncovers a neglected route through which PFAS cycle back to land from the ocean. It challenges the common belief, showing PFAS do not simply dilute in the ocean but follow a cyclical journey. The study reveals that ocean waves launch these toxic substances into the air, where they then settle back onto land, posing potential risks to human health and the environment.

·         Ocean waves send harmful PFAS forever chemicals back to land  –  earth.com

PFAS exposure

• Genève découvre d'importants foyers de pollution aux PFAS dans ses eaux souterraines  –  RTS
• How to limit PFAS in your drinking water and food, according to experts  –  CTV News
• US Map Reveals Hot Spots of Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' – Newsweek
• Australia among hotspots for toxic ‘forever chemicals’, study of PFAS levels finds – The Guardian
• EPA has limited six ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – but there are 15,000 – The Guardian
• PFAS ‘forever chemicals’: Why EPA set federal drinking water limits for these health-harming contaminants – The Conversation
• Seafood consumption linked to ‘forever chemicals’, scientists warn – WION
• ‘Forever chemicals’ found in fruit and veg – Foodprint
• ‘Forever chemicals’ are hiding in your kitchen. Here’s where—and what you can do – National Geographic
• ‘Forever chemicals’: French MPs approve PFAS product ban – France 24

Do your “band-aids” or bandages have indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the absorbent pad or adhesive flaps? This is exactly what the Mamavation community asked us and we had no idea, so we started testing different bandage products to find out. Mamavation sent several types of bandages off to an EPA-certified lab to ascertain whether consumers were being exposed to PFAS when they were bandaging up open wounds. More:

• “Band-Aids” & Bandages with Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Report  –  Mamavation

• PFAS & Their Uses  –  3M
• PFAS in Building Materials  –  Green Science Policy Institute

Growers’ use of the neurotoxic weed killer paraquat is concentrated in just five agricultural counties, leaving low-income Latinos disproportionately exposed to a chemical linked to Parkinson’s disease, a new analysis shows. More:

• California’s Latino Communities Most at Risk From Exposure to Brain-Damaging Weed Killer  –  Inside Climate News

• Paraquat disproportionately threatens California’s low-income Latino communities  –  EWG
• Agricultural paraquat dichloride use and Parkinson’s disease in California’s Central Valley  –  Oxford Academic

• Cancer incidence among paraquat-exposed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study (Research abstract)

• Paraquat (herbicide) as a cause of Parkinson's Disease (Research abstract)
• Rotenone, Paraquat, and Parkinson’s Disease (Research article)
• Paraquat elicited neurobehavioral syndrome caused by dopaminergic neuron loss (Research article)
• Parkinson’s Disease Is Predominantly an Environmental Disease (Research article)

• Prenatal pesticide exposure and childhood leukemia – A California statewide case-control study (Research abstract)
• Of Pesticides and Men: A California Story of Genes and Environment in Parkinson’s Disease (Research article)

• It’s time to ban paraquat  –  EWG
• Petition for Review and Set Aside Order Titled Paraquat Dichloride, Interim Registration Review Decision  –  U.S. Court of Appeals

• Secret files suggest chemical giant feared weedkiller’s link to Parkinson’s disease  –  The Guardian

The grass may be greener if it's made of synthetic turf, but some communities are raising concerns about "forever chemicals" that may be found in many of the faux fields. More:

• Debate about safety of synthetic turf and 'forever chemicals' raises concerns for some  –  ABC News

• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA
• PFAS Information for Clinicians – 2024  –  US ATSDR

Two chemicals found in common household products like disinfectants and furniture may play a role in the development of neurological disorders like autism and multiple sclerosis, according to a new study, adding to previous research that found the chemicals may be detrimental to human health. More:

• Chemicals Found In Popular Household Products Potentially Linked To Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Study Suggests  –  Forbes

• Flame Retardants in Furniture  –  Green Science Policy Institute
• Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants: Are They a Regrettable Substitution for Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers? (Research article)
• Exposure to Organophosphate Ester (OPE) Flame Retardants & Plasticizers  –  Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource
• Gestational Exposure to Flame Retardant Alters Brain Development in Rats  –  NC State University

• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds in Cleaning Products - Health & Safety Information for Cleaners and Supervisors  –  Mount Sinai
• Ambient and Dosed Exposure to Quaternary AmmoniumDisinfectants Causes Neural Tube Defects in Rodents (Research article)
• Disinfectant Exposure Decreases Reproductive Hormones  –  Osteopathic.org

Millions of tonnes of asbestos are being removed from buildings around the world – can this dangerous mineral be disposed of permanently? Or even be put to good use?. More:

• Asbestos is a global waste problem - here's how we might get rid of it  –  BBC

• An asbestos contaminated town in the vicinity of an asbestos-cement facility: The case study of Sibaté, Colombia (Research abstract)
• Asbestos cement products and their impact on soil contamination in relation to various sources of anthropogenic and natural asbestos pollution (Research article)
• Asbestos in drinking water: What does it mean for human health?  –  BBC
• Chrysotile asbestos migration in air from contaminated water: An experimental simulation (Research article)

• Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos  –  US EPA
• Asbestos in the Home  –  Mesothelioma.com

• How Does Asbestos Induce Pathogenic Changes?  –  US ATSDR
• What are the health hazards of exposure to asbestos?  –  US National Cancer Institute
• Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in Indonesia (Research article)

• Global Asbestos Disaster (Research article)
• Malignant mesothelioma in females: the institutional failure by WHO and IARC to protect public health (Research article)
• Malignant pleural mesothelioma: an epidemiological perspective (Research article)

• Disposal of asbestos waste  –  UK Health and Safety Executive
• Sustainable management of hazardous asbestos-containing materials: Containment, stabilization and inertization (Research article)
• Production of vitrified material from hazardous asbestos-cement waste and CRT glass cullet (Research article)
• Challenging Global Waste Management – Bioremediation to Detoxify Asbestos (Research article)

• The U.S. announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?  –  National Geographic
• Biden-Harris Administration finalizes ban on ongoing uses of asbestos to protect people from cancer  –  US EPA
• EPA bans asbestos, a deadly carcinogen still in use decades after a partial ban was enacted  –  AP EPA

A recent study conducted by the Environmental Working Group found that a number of beauty and skin care products contain Teflon, the brand name for a chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE, and/or other fluorinated chemicals known as per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFASs). More:

• Here's How To Find Out If There's Teflon In Your Beauty Products  –  HuffPost
• Is Teflon in Your Cosmetics?  –  EWG
• EWG's guide to avoiding PFAS chemicals (factsheet) (download PDF)  –  EWG

The Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award is an annual award given to an early career scientist who studies endocrine-disrupting chemicals — compounds like BPA and phthalates that alter the proper functioning of our hormones. EHN senior news editor Brian Bienkowski sat down with Dr. Anne Starling, winner of the 2023 Lou Guillette award, to discuss her work on PFAS and other toxics, how this has shaped her consumer habits, and where she finds hope. More:

• Q&A: Award-winning scientist Anne Starling on the latest PFAS research— and where she finds hope  –  EHN

The initiative, known as the Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management Programme (FARM), seeks to address the rampant use of highly hazardous pesticides and agricultural plastics that contribute to pollution and pose significant health risks globally. More:

• Global initiative launches to tackle toxic agricultural pollution  –  AWE International
• New initiative aims to curb the toxic impacts of agriculture  –  UNEP