To reduce the use of agrochemicals in the food value chain, scientists at the National Agriculture Research Laboratories (NARL) in Kawanda have developed biological control measures. These are expected to help farmers get rid of weeds on land and in water. More:

• Scientists find solution to chemicals in food chain  –  NewVision

The first impacts one thinks of when it comes to lax chemicals regulation are the negative effects on human health and the environment. This is by no means wrong, but there’s another impact that many times will go unnoticed — the eroding of trust in authorities. More:

• How lax chemicals regulation leads to serious political costs  –  ChemSec
• The ultimate guide to cheat regulation and sell toxic chemicals in the EU  –  ChemSec
• How PFAS pollution affects people’s health across Europe  –  Health and Environment Alliance
• About toxics and human rights  –  OHCHR

Pollution at Australia’s largest Antarctic research station, Casey, has exceeded international guidelines for close to 20 years. Analyzing marine sediment levels around Casey station between 1997 and 2015, Australian and Canadian scientists found that levels of multiple contaminants exceeded international quality guidelines. More:

• Australia’s largest Antarctic research station has a pollution problem  –  Canada's National Observer
• Casey research station  –  Australian Antarctic Program
• Contamination of the marine environment by Antarctic research stations: Monitoring marine pollution at Casey station from 1997 to 2015 (Research article)
• The type and spatial distribution of past waste at the abandoned Wilkes Station, East Antarctica (Research abstract)

Testimony is underway in a key federal court hearing aimed at examining scientific evidence about allegations that a widely used weedkiller called paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease. The outcome of the hearing, which runs in East St. Louis, Illinois, is critical for thousands of people with Parkinson’s who are suing paraquat maker Syngenta AG and former paraquat distributor Chevron. More:

• Science takes center stage in court hearing over paraquat and Parkinson’s disease  –  The New Lede

• Paraquat Dichloride: One Sip Can Kill  –  US EPA
• Articles on Paraquat  –  The New Lede

• Paraquat Papers Media Library  –  The New Lede
• Secret “Paraquat Papers” reveal corporate tactics to protect weed killer linked to Parkinson’s disease  –  The New Lede
• Syngenta’s “SWAT” team- Internal files reveal secret strategies to influence science  –  The New Lede

• Plaintiff's Complaint and Demand for Jury Trial - Paraquat and its Connection to Parkinson's Disease (download PDF) (Legal claim)

Just one week of an organic diet effectively reduces levels of the herbicide glyphosate in pregnant women’s urine, according to a study published in July in Environmental Health Perspectives. More:

• Organic diets reduce glyphosate exposure for pregnant people: Study  –  EHN
• Invited Perspective: The Continuing Debate—Is Glyphosate a Problem, and Can an Organic Diet Protect Us from Exposures? (Research article)

• ‘Disturbing’: weedkiller ingredient tied to cancer found in 80% of US urine samples  –  The Guardian

• Glyphosate exposure linked to lower birth weights for Indiana babies  –  EHN
• Is the Use of Glyphosate in Modern Agriculture Resulting in Increased Neuropsychiatric Conditions Through Modulation of the Gut-brain-microbiome Axis? (Perspective article)

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has shed light on the potential consequences of prenatal exposure to phthalates on the emotional and behavioral development of children. More:

• Exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy can impact your baby - study  –  The Jerusalem Post
• Prenatal Exposure to Phthalate Chemicals Linked to Developmental Issues in Toddler Boys, According to Hebrew University Researchers  –  Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Prenatal exposure to phthalates and emotional/behavioral development in young children (Research abstract)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office responsible for protecting the public from toxic substances has changed how it defines PFAS for a second time since 2021, a move critics say they fear will exclude thousands of “forever chemicals” from regulation and largely benefit industry. More:

• EPA’s new definition of PFAS could omit thousands of ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Guardian
• US food pesticides contaminated with toxic ‘forever chemicals’ testing finds  –  The Guardian

Water of about 26 million is contaminated as new data offers the most robust look into exactly which communities are polluted. More:

• Drinking water of millions of Americans contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Guardian

• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  EWG
• Revealed: US water likely contains more ‘forever chemicals’ than EPA tests show  –  The Guardian
• Data Summary of The Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5)  –  US EPA
• A Further Examination of a Subset of UCMR 3 PFAS Data Demonstrates Wider Occurrence (Google Drive)  –  Eurofins

Two environmental hazards are emerging in tandem with the promise of disruptions to municipal financial markets. One, global warming, has received widespread attention; the other, toxic waste, less so. More:

• Opinion: How toxic fertilizers create toxic municipal bonds  –  EHN

Birth defects related to chromosomal abnormalities often stem from exposure to chemicals early in the mother's life. But determining which chemicals are at fault poses a serious challenge—akin to solving a hit-and-run case, decades after the fact. Two researchers in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences are developing a method that could identify harmful chemicals far more quickly. More:

• Using glowing fish to detect harmful pesticides  –  Phys.org

Birth defects related to chromosomal abnormalities often stem from exposure to chemicals early in the mother's life. But determining which chemicals are at fault poses a serious challenge—akin to solving a hit-and-run case, decades after the fact. Two researchers in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences are developing a method that could identify harmful chemicals far more quickly, with the help of red- and green-glowing zebrafish. More:

• Using glowing fish to detect harmful pesticides  –  Phys.org

Laurie Harper, director of education for the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School, a K-12 tribal school on the Leech Lake Band Indian Reservation in northcentral Minnesota, never thought that a class of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, would be an issue for her community. That’s partly because, up until a few months ago, she didn’t even know what PFAS were. More:

• What one school’s fight to eliminate PFAS says about Indian Country’s ‘forever chemical’ problem  –  Grist
• PFAS contamination across Tribal Lands (Interactive Map)  –  EWG

• EPA proposes first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water  –  Grist
• Here are the chances your water supply is contaminated by PFAS  –  Grist
• A quarter of rural water systems likely contain ‘forever chemicals’  –  High Country News
• Federal PFAS Testing and Tribal Public Water Systems (Research article)

• Bill would allow people to seek medical monitoring due to chemical exposure  –  Minnesota Reformer
• The landmark trial that could determine who pays to rid America’s drinking water of PFAS  –  Grist
• Fond du Lac Band Ojibwe Sues Chemical Companies over PFAS  –  Turtle Talk
• 3M reaches historic settlement over PFAS contamination  –  Grist

A new study investigating Antarctic pollution near Australia’s Casey Station has found that some sediment contaminant levels exceed international guidelines. More:

• Antarctic pollution puts marine environment at risk  –  Cosmos
• Casey Research Station  – Australian Antarctic Program
• Contamination of the marine environment by Antarctic research stations: Monitoring marine pollution at Casey station from 1997 to 2015 (Research article)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)  –  Government of South Australia

Gary Flook served in the Air Force for 37 years, as a firefighter at the now-closed Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and the former Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, where he regularly trained with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a frothy white fire retardant that is highly effective but now known to be toxic. More:

• Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel to ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  KFF Health News

• Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing and Health Outcomes  –  U.S. National Academies
• PFAS - Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances  –  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• The U.S. Military Is Spending Millions to Replace Toxic Firefighting Foam with Toxic Firefighting Foam  –  The Intercept

• A Nested Case–Control Study of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Testicular Germ Cell Tumors among U.S. Air Force Servicemen (Research article)
• Studies of Cancer in Humans - Painting, Firefighting, and Shiftwork  –  U.S. NCBI Bookshelf

• Attorney General Bonta Leads Bipartisan Coalition in Opposing 3M’s Proposed PFAS Settlement  –  State of California Department of Justice

Are kids’ backpacks treated with PFAS “forever chemicals” like other water-resistant fabrics such as raincoats? Several Mamavation community members reached out to us asking about what brands of backpacks were the safest for their young children. More:

• Kid's Backpacks & Avoiding PFAS "Forever Chemicals" — Buying Guide  –  Mamavation

• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• Health effects of PFAS exposure  –  Food Packaging Forum
• CDC and ATSDR Award $7 Million to Begin Multi-Site PFAS Study  –  US CDC
• PFAS and cancer, a scoping review of the epidemiologic evidence (Research article)

• Endocrine-disrupting activity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Exploring combined approaches of ligand and structure based modeling (Research abstract)
• Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS (Scientific review)
• Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals and Male Reproductive Health: Do PFOA and PFOS Increase Risk for Male Infertility? (Research article)

• Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Their Effects on the Placenta, Pregnancy, and Child Development: a Potential Mechanistic Role for Placental Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptors (PPARs) (Research abstract)
• Perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and immunity, allergic response, infection, and asthma in children: review of epidemiologic studies (Research article)

• Concerning Amounts of Toxic PFAS "Forever Chemicals" in Tooth Floss & and Dental Floss — Report  –  Mamavation
• Safer Green Beauty Cosmetics Guide--PFAS "Forever Chemicals" in Makeup  –  Mamavation
• Indications of PFAS "Forever Chemicals" in Contact Lenses — Report  –  Mamavation

• Best (& Worst) Period Underwear & Period Panties Tested for Indications of PFAS  –  Mamavation
• PFAS "Forever Chemicals" inside Sanitary Pads & Incontinence Pads — Report 2022  –  Mamavation
• Do Your Tampons Contain PFAS "Forever Chemicals" They Might. — Report  –  Mamavation

• Safest Cookware in Simple Terms—Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Ceramic & Bakeware 2022  –  Mamavation
• Safest Non-Toxic Baking Sheets, Cookie Sheets, & Sheet Pans  –  Mamavation
• Best Non-Toxic Cupcake & Muffin Pans Sans Toxic Coatings  –  Mamavation

• Safest Air Fryers & Air Fryer Ovens Sans Toxic PFAS 2023  –  Mamavation
• Blenders With the Safest BPA-Free Food Contact Surfaces 2022  –  Mamavation
• Best (& Worst) Non-Toxic Indoor Kitchen Grills & Paninis Sans PFAS  –  Mamavation
• The Best Non Toxic Toasters & Toaster Ovens Of 2022 (A Guidebook)  –  Mamavation
• Best Non-Toxic Waffle Maker Sans PFAS "Forever Chemicals" and Nano-Titanium  –  Mamavation

Concentrations of some potentially harmful chemical compounds in dust collected from air filtration systems on the International Space Station (ISS) exceed those found in floor dust from many American homes, a new study reveals. More:

• Chemical contamination on International Space Station is out of this world  –  University of Birmingham
• Chemical contamination on International Space Station is out of this world  –  ScienceDaily
• Persistent Organic Contaminants in Dust from the International Space Station (Research article)

Most people have heard of BPA — but researchers say its chemical cousin, BADGE, is leaving scores of workers, artisans and individuals at risk. More:

• BPA's evil cousin  –  EHN

• BADGE  –  Epoxy Europe
• A review of properties, production, human exposure, biomonitoring, toxicity, and regulation of bisphenol A diglycidyl ethers and novolac glycidyl ethers (Research article)
• Toxic effects of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and derivatives in human placental cells (Research abstract)

• BADGE at the “very top as a chemical of concern” for workers handling epoxy resins  –  EHN
• Ramped-up US construction exposes workers to an unregulated toxic  –  EHN
• The hidden, potential cancer-causing, danger in woodworking and art supplies  –  EHN

Mercury poisoning among members of the Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario, Canada, is contributing to high rates of attempted suicide among Indigenous youth. That’s according to a new study out of the University of Quebec in Montreal published this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. More:

• Mercury pollution is worsening a mental health crisis in this Indigenous community  –  Grist

• Mercury and health  –  WHO
• The Mercury Problem in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining  –  Chemistry Europe

• Grassy Narrows residents eating fish with highest mercury levels in province  –  Toronto Star
• The Contribution across Three Generations of Mercury Exposure to Attempted Suicide among Children and Youth in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada: An Intergenerational Analysis (Research article)
• Invited Perspective: Linking the Intergenerational Impacts due to Mercury Exposure in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada (Scientific perspective)

• Children of the poisoned river  –  CBC News
• Grassy Narrows chief questions federal commitment to mercury care home amid delays, soaring costs  –  CBC News

The endocrine system is made up of glands throughout the body, along with the hormones that these glands produce and receptors that respond to the hormones. Endocrine glands include the pituitary, thymus, pancreas and adrenals. Hormones act like messengers, traveling through the body to deliver instructions that control biological processes ranging from growth and development to sleep, digestion and childbirth. More:

• What are endocrine-disrupting chemicals?  –  EHN
• Living healthily in a chemical world  –  European Environment Agency

• Overview of the Endocrine System  –  US EPA
• What EDCs Are  –  Endocrine Society
• Why You Should Care [about EDCs]  –  Endocrine Society
• Ask the Expert: Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)  –  Endocrine Society

• Impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on neural development and the onset of neurological disorders (Research article)
• Immune and Nervous Systems Interaction in Endocrine Disruptors Toxicity: The Case of Atrazine (Research article)
• Bisphenol A and bisphenol S disruptions of the mouse placenta and potential effects on the placenta–brain axis (Research article)

• Plastics, EDCs & Health  –  Endocrine Society/IPEN
• What will it take to give babies a phthalate-free start in the world?  –  EHN
• BPA safety: The toxic chemical limbo game  –  EHN
• Concern about the Safety of Bisphenol A Substitutes (Research article)

• What are PFAS?  –  EHN
• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US NIH
• Key EPA Actions to Address PFAS  –  US EPA
• For decades, polluters knew PFAS chemicals were dangerous but hid risks from public  –  EWG
• The Devil they Knew- Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science (Scientific review)

• What are the health worries around pesticides?  –  EHN
• In 1996, the EPA was ordered to test pesticides for impacts on people’s hormones. They still don’t.  –  EHN
• Adrift: Communities on the front lines of pesticide exposure fight for change  –  EHN

• The Case of DDT: Revisiting the Impairment  –  US EPA
• Grandmaternal Perinatal Serum DDT in Relation to Granddaughter Early Menarche and Adult Obesity: Three Generations in the Child Health and Development Studies Cohort (Research article)
• Learn about Dioxin  –  US EPA
• Dioxins and their effects on human health  –  WHO
• Predicting global killer whale population collapse from PCB pollution (Research article)

Researchers have documented the insects making their homes in higher places that are typically too cool for them, from the tropical highlands of South America to the mountainous but populous regions of eastern Africa. A recent Georgetown University study found them moving upward in sub-Saharan Africa at the rate of 21 feet per year. More:

• Mosquitos are moving to higher elevations — and so is malaria  –  Grist

• World malaria report 2022  –  WHO

• 10 Years of Environmental Change on the Slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Its Associated Shift in Malaria Vector Distributions  –  Frontiers
• Warmer temperatures push malaria to higher elevations  –  EurekAlert!
• Impact of recent climate extremes on mosquito-borne disease transmission in Kenya  –  PMC
• Malaria trends in Ethiopian highlands track the 2000 ‘slowdown’ in global warming  –  Nature Communications

• Invasive mosquitoes could unravel malaria progress in Africa  –  AP News
• Locally Acquired Malaria Cases Identified in the United States  –  US CDC

• Dramatic reductions in malaria cases and deaths continue over five years with seasonal malaria vaccine-drug combination  –  Medical Xpress
• 18 million doses of first-ever malaria vaccine allocated to 12 African countries for 2023–2025: Gavi, WHO and UNICEF  –  UNICEF