To restore fragile ecosystems and protect people’s health, we must address the use of synthetic pesticides. But as EU-level discussions on these intensify, is something more fundamental also at stake? Does widespread and long-term pollution of our soil, air and water with pesticides sound like a good idea? More:

• Real pesticide action: Our moment to ally politics, people and nature  –  META

• Pesticides: a model that’s costing us dearly  –  Basic
• The Story of Silent Spring  –  NRDC

• Land and soil in Europe (Report) (download PDF)  –  European Environment Agency
• Ríos hormonados: Contamination of Spanish Rivers with Pesticides  –  PAN Europe
• Brussels confronts EU countries over pesticides and animal welfare  –  POLITICO
• Pesticides spark broad biodiversity loss (download PDF) (Research article)

• Pesticides in our bedroom (Report) (download PDF)  –  PAN Europe
• Residens exposed to pesticides. The failures in risk assessment (Report) (download PDF)  –  Generations futures
• Current pesticide reduction measures fail to protect vulnerable groups from pesticide pollution, new study from Italy shows  –  PAN Europe

• The effects of pesticides on health (Report) (download PDF)  –  INSERM
• Cancer incidence in the AGRICAN cohort study (2005-2011) (download PDF) (Research article)

• Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides  –  European Parliament
• Sustainable use of pesticides  –  European Commission
• Sustainable use of plant protection products: limited progress in measuring and reducing risks (Report) (download PDF)  –  European Court of Auditors
• Delay in new pesticides law publication risks derailing Farm to Fork  –  European Environment Bureau

• A loud lobby for a silent spring (Report) (download PDF)  –  Corporate Europe Observatory
• Pesticide Paradise: How industry and officials protected the most toxic pesticides  –  PAN Europe
• Sowing Doubt: How Big Ag is Delaying Sustainable Farming in Europe  –  DeSmog-Sowing Doubt
• Press Conference: EU pesticide reduction under fierce attack  –  IFOAM Organics Europe

Stacks of boxes line the front hall of Wendy Thomas’ house in Merrimack, New Hampshire, not far from the Massachusetts border. Inside each box are jugs of water that she relies on daily. Thomas, age 64, uses the bottled water for cooking and drinking because her well water is contaminated with high levels of PFAS. More:

• Tracing the path of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ inside the body  –  WBUR News

They stop your food from sticking to the pan. They prevent stains in clothes and carpets. They help firefighting foam to extinguish fires. But the very thing that makes “forever chemicals” so useful also makes them dangerous. More:

• ‘Forever chemicals’ have made their way to farms. For now, levels in your food are low – but there’s no time to waste  –  The Conversation

• Fury over ‘forever chemicals’ as US states spread toxic sewage sludge  –  The Guardian
• Assessment of Emergent Contaminants in Biosolids (download PDF)  –  Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership
• Legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Australian biosolids (Research abstract)
• Uptake of Perfluoroalkyl Acids into Edible Crops via Land Applied Biosolids: Field and Greenhouse Studies (Research abstract)
• Managing Cadmium in Vegetables  –  Vege Notes

• Chemicals are 'overwhelming' food chains  –  Shepparton News
• Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water: A review of the recent scientific literature (Research abstract)

• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research (download PDF) (Research article)

• Managing PFAS-support for Australia's water authorities (Factsheet) (download PDF)  –  CRCCare
• How well do product labels indicate the presence of PFAS in consumer items used by Children and Adolescents (download PDF) (Research article)
• WEF, partners explore option to destroy PFAS with heat  –  WaterWorld

• $58 billion day of reckoning looms for 3M over toxic ‘forever chemicals’  –  The Sydney Morning Herald

Norwegian Arctic ice is contaminated with alarming levels of toxic PFAS, and the chemicals may represent a major environmental stressor to the region’s wildlife, research finds. The Oxford University-led study’s measurements of ice around Svalbard, Norway, detected 26 types of PFAS compounds, and found when ice melts, the chemicals can move from glaciers into downstream ecosystems like Arctic fjords and tundra. More:

• Alarming levels of PFAS in Norwegian Arctic ice pose new risk to wildlife  –  The Guardian

• Levels and distribution profiles of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in a high Arctic Svalbard ice core (download PDF) (Research article)
• Choose Your Poison—Space-Use Strategy Influences Pollutant Exposure in Barents Sea Polar Bears (Research abstract)

How do you destroy pollution so stubborn, it’s nicknamed “forever chemicals”? That’s a question researchers and companies across the country are eager to answer, as regulation tightens on PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and the chemicals’ producers face a mountain of lawsuits. More:

• Destroying ‘forever chemicals’ is a technological race that could become a multibillion-dollar industry  –  Grist
• Temporary Prohibition on Incineration of Materials Containing Pre- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (download PDF)  –  US Office of the assistant secretary of defense
• Minnesota tries new technologies to remove 'forever chemicals' from water  –  StarTribune

Feminine hygiene products may be among the most basic and essential purchases a consumer can make. The 72 million women and girls in the U.S. of child bearing age–broadly defined as ages 15 to 49–rely on industry to provide them a diverse range of sanitary products, from tampons to pads to period underwear to liners, and industry generally responds. But increasingly it seems that manufacturers are delivering these consumers a very bad thing as well–one that can pose a grave threat to their health and welfare. More:

• PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Are Turning Up in Menstrual Products. Here's What You Need to Know  –  Time

• Do Your Tampons Contain PFAS "Forever chemicals"? They might  –  Mamavation
• PFAS "Forever chemicals" in Sanitary Pads & Incontinence Pads  –  Mamavation
• Report: 65% of Period Underwear Likely Contaminated with PFAS Chemicals  –  Mamavation
• New Independent Study Confirms PFAS in Thinx, Other Products  –  Sierra Club

• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA
• Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) or Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)  –  US NTP
• Learn about the Human Health Toxicity Assessment for PFBS  –  US EPA
• Human Health Toxicity Assessments for GenX Chemicals  –  US EPA

• Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS (Factsheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Drinking Water Health Advisories for Four PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, GenX chemicals, and PFBS) (Factsheet) (download PDF)  –  US EPA
• Biomonintoring Perfluorochemicals  –  US CDC

• California Issues New PFAS Consumer Product Regulations  –  Exponent

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the much-awaited proposal aimed at restricting 10,000 synthetic substances hazardous to human health, with the evaluation process set to start in March. More:

• EU agency to start evaluation on ‘forever chemicals’ ban  –  EURACTIV

• ECHA publishes PFAS restriction proposal  –  ECHA
• Q&A The ins and outs of 'forever chemicals' as EU weighs complete ban  –  Reuters
• EU considers ban on 'forever chemicals', urges search for alternatives  –  Reuters

More than 30 years ago the Food and Drug Administration told the cosmetics industry that it could no longer use an artificial color called FD&C Red No. 3, also known as Red Dye No. 3 and Red Dye 3. That’s because high doses of it had been found to cause cancer in animals. More:

• Why Is Red Dye No. 3 Banned in Cosmetics but Still Allowed in Food?  –  Consumer Reports

• Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers  –  US FDA

• Exposure estimate for FD&C colour additives for the US population (download PDF) (Research article)
• Amounts of Artificial Food Colors in Commonly Consumed Beverages and Potential Behavioral Implications for Consumption in Children (download PDF) (Research article)

• Synthetic Food Dye Risk Assessment  –  Californian OEHHA
• Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children - Food Dyes Health Effects Assessment (download PDF)  –  Californian OEHHA
• IACM Statement on Final OEHHA Report (download PDF)  –  International Association of Color Manufacturers - IACM
• Effects of oral erythrosine (2',4',5',7'-tetraiodofluorescein) on thyroid function in normal men (Research abstract)

The topic of PFAS is more relevant than ever. Due to decades of relentless use, these harmful, persistent chemicals can now be found everywhere: from otters and crayfish to drinking water and teenagers. An ambitious and extensive EU proposal, aiming to ban the entire group of PFAS chemicals, is now – finally – about to be realised. More:

• Major PFAS ban on the horizon: This is what 53 brands think  –  ChemSec

• ECHA publishes PFAS restriction proposal  –  ECHA
• Why high levels of PFAS should be a personal injury by law  –  ChemSec

• European teenagers are high – on PFAS  –  ChemSec

• Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in British otters  –  BBC News
• Hell and gore: High levels of PFAS in crayfish yet another sign of an intoxicated world  –  ChemSec

• The odds of your takeaway food packaging containing intentionally added, harmful PFAS are 1 in 3  –  ChemSec Marketplace

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution is responsible for around seven million deaths per year, while exposure to other hazardous chemicals causes a further two million deaths annually. These figures help explain why pollution is often described as the third planetary crisis, alongside climate change and biodiversity loss. More:

• Assembling the UN’s new panel on chemical waste  –  Chemistry World

• Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment  –  World Health Organization
• Ambient (outdoor) air pollution  –  World Health Organization

• World agrees to sign up to a treaty to control plastic and chemical pollution  –  Chemistry World
• OEWG1.2- Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution  –  UNEP
• Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution (download PDF)  –  UNEP
• Draft report of the first session of the ad hoc open-ended working group on a science-policy panel (download PDF)  –  UNEP

People are exposed to numerous chemicals throughout their lifetimes. These chemicals can be from the air, foods, personal care items, household products and medications. Unfortunately, exposure to certain chemicals can cause harmful health effects, including cancer. Substances that cause cancer are called carcinogens. Familiar examples include tobacco smoke, radon, asbestos and diesel engine exhaust. More:

• Does this cause cancer? How scientists determine whether a chemical is carcinogenic – sometimes with controversial results  –  The Conversation

• Toxic exposure: Chemicals are in our water, food, air and furniture  –  University of California

• Report: The EPA Needs to Improve the Transparency of Its Cancer-Assessment Process for Pesticides  –  US EPA
• Some Organophosphate Insecticides and Herbicides (IARC monograph) (download PDF)  –  IARC

• Under fire by U.S. politicians, World Health Organization defends its claim that an herbicide causes cancer  –  Science
• OEHHA Statement Regarding US EPA’s Press Release and Registrant Letter on Glyphosate  –  OEHHA
• Glyphosate: why the EU needs to ban the popular weedkiller to protect health  –  Health and Environment Alliance

A pungent smell hits the air as soon as farmer Faustine Mugalula unscrews the lid of the plastic bottle. The fumes cause nausea and vomiting. The small container labeled "ROKET" contains a chemical substance that kills every caterpillar and every bee. More:

• How Germany's ban on harmful pesticides could impact Africa  –  DW

• Pesticide Atlas 2022  –  Heinrich Böll Stiftung, FoE, PAN & BUND

• Brussels to outlaw use of insecticide chlorpyrifos  –  DW
• US judge rejects Bayer's Roundup cancer lawsuits plan  –  DW

A new class-action lawsuit in the US alleges Coca-Cola and Simply Tropical fruit juice deceived customers with claims of an all-natural, healthy product when the juice has been found to be contaminated with toxic PFAS at levels “hundreds of times” above federal advisory limits for drinking water. More:

• ‘All-natural’ Simply Tropical juice has high toxic PFAS levels, lawsuit alleges  –  The Guardian

• Revealed: the dangerous chemicals in your food wrappers  –  The Guardian
• New US lawsuit targets ‘forever chemicals’ in plastic food containers  –  The Guardian

Solid PFAS contamination is an ongoing issue for soil near waste sites, manufacturing sites, and facilities that frequently use firefighting foam. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends incineration to destroy these substances, but concerns remain about whether this energy-intensive method can effectively prevent environmental contamination. Another option is ball milling, a process that mixes PFAS and additives with metal balls at high speeds. More:

• Farewell to 'forever': Destroying PFAS by grinding it up with a new additive  –  Phys.org
• Solvent-Free Nonthermal Destruction of PFAS Chemicals and PFAS in Sediment by Piezoelectric Ball Milling (Research abstract)

Queensland researchers have developed a way to quickly and simply remove dangerous PFAS chemicals from water using magnets. Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a method that does not require electricity or bulky lab equipment. More:

• Magnets key to removing dangerous PFAS chemicals  –  The Age
• Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals from Contaminated Water Sources Using Magnetic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents (Research article) (download PDF)

• Food and water poisoned by toxic foam near Amberley  –  The Age
• Queensland town in Defence water contamination scare  –  Brisbane times

• Queensland man first to settle toxic PFAS groundwater claim  –  The Age

The company has settled a class-action suit over allegations the underwear contained PFAS. Though it denies “improper or unlawful” behavior, the brand faced allegations in court “regarding the presence of short chain per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (‘PFAS’)”, also known as “forever chemicals”. More:

• Thinx period underwear was supposed to be ‘non-toxic’. Now customers feel betrayed  –  The Guardian

• PFAS Explained  –  US EPA

• My Menstrual Underwear Has Toxic Chemicals in It  –  Sierra
• Australian period underwear makers deny using ‘forever chemicals’ after Thinx settles suit in US  –  The Guardian

A drive by the Kenyan government to kill up to 6 million red-billed quelea birds that have invaded farms will have unintended consequences for raptors and other wild species, experts have warned. More:

• Kenya declares war on millions of birds after they raid crops  –  The Guardian
• FAO in emergency response to the outbreak of Quelea quelea birds in Tanzania  –  FAO Regional Office for Africa

• The vultures aren't soaring over Africa – and that's bad news  –  The Guardian

• Alternatives to fenthion for quelea bird control (download PDF) (Report)  –  FAO
• A review of alternatives to fenthion for quelea bird control (Research abstract)

A new study by Environmental Working Group scientists finds that consumption of just a single serving of freshwater fish per year could be equal to a month of drinking water laced with the “forever chemical” PFOS at high levels that may be harmful. More:

• EWG study: Eating one freshwater fish equals a month of drinking ‘forever chemicals’ water  –  Environmental Working Group
• Eating just one freshwater fish is like drinking a month's worth of "forever chemical"–laced water  –  Salon
• En Suisse aussi, manger un poisson d'eau douce revient à boire de l'eau polluée pendant un mois  –  RTS

• PFAS Chemicals  –  Environmental Working Group

• Suspected industrial discharges of PFAS  –  Environmental Working Group
• Feeding the Waste Cycle: How PFAS ‘Disposal’ Perpetuates Contamination  –  Environmental Working Group
• Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 2,858 sites in 50 states and two territories  –  Environmental Working Group
• EPA Announces First Validated Laboratory Method to Test for PFAS in Wastewater, Surface Water, Groundwater, Soils  –  US EPA

• Locally caught fish are full of dangerous chemicals called PFAS, study finds  –  CNN
• Freshwater fish more contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ than in oceans  –  The Guardian
• Bass, catfish and perch: Freshwater fish contain 'staggering' levels of toxic forever chemicals  –  Euronews
• ‘Forever chemicals’ in freshwater fish  –  Environmental Working Group
• Locally caught freshwater fish across the United States are likely a significant source of exposure to PFOS and other perfluorinated compounds (download PDF) (Research article)

• Children’s Exposure to PFAS Chemicals Begins in the Womb  –  Environmental Working Group
• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  Environmental Working Group
• Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) (download PDF) (Report)  –  US EPA
• Testing Food for PFAS and Assessing Dietary Exposure  –  US FDA

• Potential health effects of PFAS chemicals  –  US ATSDR
• PFAS and Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity: An EWG Fact Sheet  –  Environmental Working Group
• Study: PFAS Act Similar to Known Cancer-Causing Chemicals  –  Environmental Working Group
• PFAS Chemicals Harm the Immune System, Decrease Response to Vaccines, New EWG Review Finds  –  Environmental Working Group

A recent report reveals communities in Brazil’s Mato Grosso region are contaminated by the agriculture industry’s increasing use of pesticides. About 88% of the plants collected, including medicinal herbs and fruits, on Indigenous lands have pesticide residue. More:

• Poisoned by pesticides: Health crisis deepens in Brazil’s Indigenous communities  –  Mongabay

• Pesticide Atlas 2022 - Facts and figures about toxic chemicals in agriculture (download PDF)  –  Heinrich Böll Stiftung

• Molecular Colonialism - A Geography of Agrochemicals in Brazil  –  Inhabitants
• Indigenous territories and socio-environmental determination of health: discussing exposure by pesticides (Research Abstract)
• Exposure to pesticides, health conditions, and popular surveillance of municipalities of Mato Grosso (Research Abstract)

• Impacts of cotton monoculture on health and the environment in Mato Grosso (download PDF) (Report)   –  Operação Amazônia Nativa
• Blue jeans- An iconic fashion item that’s costing the planet dearly  –  Mongabay
• Health surveillance and agribusiness-the impact of pesticides on health and the environment (download PDF) (Research Article)

• As pesticide approvals soar, Brazil’s tapirs, bees, other wildlife suffer  –  Mongabay
• Demand for soy puts pressure on Pantanal, Brazil's largest wild wetland  –  Mongabay

• Brazil: “Poison package” draft bill on pesticides will undermine rights protection say UN experts  –  UN OHCHR
• Mongabay probe key as Brazil court rules on palm oil pesticide contamination  –  Mongabay
• Bolsonaro administration authorizes 150+ pesticides in first 100 days  –  Mongabay
• Pesticides, Health and Environment: strategic action and public policies in agribusiness territories  (Research Abstract)

• For European chemical giants, Brazil is an open market for toxic pesticides banned at home  –  Mongabay
• Tax exemptions on pesticides in Brazil add up to US$ 2.2 billion per year  –  Mongabay
• World Bank approves $200 million IFC loan for industrial agriculture in Brazil’s Cerrado  –  Mongabay
• Intimidation of Brazil’s enviro scientists, academics, officials on upswing  –  Mongabay

Widespread pollution was found in fishes across six atolls in the Marshall Islands in a new study from researchers at the University of Hawaii and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More:

• New Study Of Marshall Islands Fish Highlights Peril Of Using Oceans As Dumping Grounds  –  Honolulu Civil Beat

• US Army report: Reef fish at Marshalls atoll are toxic  –  RNZ News
• Trophic and spatial patterns of contaminants in fishes from the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the equatorial Pacific (Research abstract)