Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been deemed one of the most contaminated cetacean species in the world. However, concentrations and potential health implications of selected ‘contaminants of emerging concern’ (CECs) and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in endangered Southern Resident and threatened Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales in the Northeastern Pacific (NEP) have not yet been documented. More:

• Emerging Contaminants and New POPs (PFAS and HBCDD) in Endangered Southern Resident and Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): In Utero Maternal Transfer and Pollution Management Implications (Research article)

In the wake of this year’s global climate summit, advocates are raising the alarm about how industry continues to distort climate policy with public relations spin. More:

• Op-ed: What the pesticide industry doesn’t want you to know  –  EHN

• Pesticide use around world almost doubles since 1990, report finds  –  The Guardian
• Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally (download PDF) (Research article)
• Toxic-Hangover (download PDF) (Report)  –  Center for Biological Diversity

• Your Health  –  Friends of Earth
• Glyphosate: Cancer and other health concerns  –  U.S. Right to Know

• Pesticides & climate change: A vicious cycle  –  Pesticide Action Network

• EU plan to halve use of pesticides in ‘milestone’ legislation to restore ecosystems  –  The Guardian
• The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticides (download PDF) (Research article)

• Merchants of Poison: A case study in pesticide industry science denial on glyphosate (an excerpt)  –  U.S. Right to Know
• Merchants of poison (Report) (download PDF)  –  U.S. Right to Know
• Glyphosate, oncogenicity study in the mouse (Archive document) (download PDF)  –  US EPA

Continuing to use or produce the most problematic chemicals is associated with great risk – not only for human health and the environment, but also for company finances and the investors. More:

• Big Chem company: It’s a no-brainer to move away from the worst substances  –  ChemSec
• ChemScore Report 2022  –  ChemSec

As a chest surgeon who looks underneath the skin, inside people’s bodies, Dr Arvind Kumar has a unique perspective on life. But what he sees every day on the lungs of patients in his home country, India, is alarming. More:

• This is what air pollution is doing to teenagers’ lungs, according to a chest surgeon  –  World Economic Forum
• Air pollution  –  World Health Organization

• More than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day  –  World Health Organization
• Air pollution and child health: prescribing clean air (download PDF) (Report)  –  World Health Organization

• The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO  –  World Health Organization
• Estimation of stillbirths attributable to ambient fine particles in 137 countries (download PDF) (Research article)

• Children are dying from air pollution. Here's how we can protect them  –  World Economic Forum

Indoor dust and wastewater reveal fluorotelomer ethoxylates, which likely originate from stain repellents and anti-fogging spray. More:

• Understudied class of PFAS found in healthcare facilities  –  C&EN
• Nontargeted screening reveals fluorotelomer ethoxylates in indoor dust and industrial wastewater (download PDF) (Research article)

• A guide to the PFAS found in our environment  –  C&EN

• Characterization of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances Present in Commercial Anti-fog Products (download PDF) (Research article)
• Use of high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify precursors and biodegradation products of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds in end-user products (Research abstract)

Skin whitening — the use of cosmetic products or services to reduce the amount of melanin in the skin to make it appear lighter — is a multi-billion dollar global industry. High levels of mercury found in some skin whitening creams can affect the body of people using them and put entire households at risk by contaminating their homes. More:

• I would whiten my skin no matter the cost’ CNN readers around the globe tell of the pressure to look whiter.  –  CNN
• White lies- Exposing the dangers of skin whitening  –  CNN
• Mercury found in skin whitening products Risks to your health, home and family CNN  –  CNN
• Mercury in beauty creams believed to have caused vision loss in woman and put her family at risk  –  CNN

ChemSec’s ranking tool ChemScore assesses the world’s 54 largest chemical companies on their environmental impact and hazardous chemicals management, setting the benchmark for a sustainable chemical industry. More:

• ChemScore 2022 reveals growing differences between global regions  –  ChemSec
• ChemScore Report 2022  –  ChemSec
• Investors with $8 trillion call for phase-out of dangerous “forever chemicals”  –  ChemSec

It takes 25 years – a whole generation – to transform an industrial sector and all the value chains. As EU policymakers review key pollution prevention rules, a unique window of opportunity to depollute industry is closing now. Bold action is needed to enact pollution prevention that works for people and the environment. More:

• Once-in-a-generation chance to depollute EU industry  –  META

• Green Deal: Modernising EU industrial emissions rules to steer large industry in long-term green transition  –  European Commission
• EPP draft report waters down key industrial pollution prevention rules  –  EBB

A federal appeals court has upheld a $40 million verdict for a cancer survivor who sued E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co after years of exposure to a toxic chemical that it manufactured. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said DuPont could not challenge the verdict, which relied on a finding in related cases that PFOA, a chemical discharged by DuPont into public waterways, was linked to the man's cancer. More:

• DuPont loses challenge over cancer victim's $40 mln verdict in PFAS case  –  Reuters
• Abbott vs. DuPont de Nemours - Verdict (download PDF)  –  United States Court of Appeal

• California sues 3M, DuPont over toxic 'forever chemicals'  –  Reuters
• DuPont, Chemours beat back lawsuit over chemicals in N.Y. drinking water  –  Reuters

When communities impacted by PFAS contamination seek medical advice, they often discover doctors are unfamiliar with these chemicals' health effects and unsure how to address their patients’ concerns. A new course and report on PFAS-related health effects can empower patients, promote life-saving screening and help tackle the continued devastating health effects of PFAS chemicals. More:

• Op-ed: Arming doctors with knowledge about PFAS pollution  –  EHN
• PFAS - Resources for Clinicians  –  PFAS Exchange

• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  Environmental Working Group

• Where did the PFAS in your blood come from? These computer models offer clues  –  EHN

Staring at negative pregnancy tests, enduring the rollercoaster of fertility treatments and the heartbreak of miscarriages: struggling to conceive a child can be extremely stressful. More:

• Sperm count down What you need to know about the male fertility crisis  –  Euronews

• Sperm count drop is accelerating worldwide and threatens the future of mankind, study warns  –  Euronews
• Brain inflammation caused by air pollution is reducing sperm counts, new study finds  –  Euronews
• Research into falling sperm counts finds 'alarming' levels of chemicals in male urine samples  –  Euronews
• Shorter Anogenital Distance Predicts Poorer Semen Quality in Young Men in Rochester, New York (Research article)
• Penises are shrinking because of pollution, warns environmental scientist  –  Euronews

• Toxic levels of 'forever chemicals' are being found in breast milk. How harmful are they?  –  Euronews

• Phthalates (download PDF) (Factsheet) –  Zero breast cancer

The presence of numerous emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) and remobilization of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in polar regions have become significant concerns of the scientific communities, public groups and stakeholders. This work reviews the occurrences of EOCs and POPs and their long-range environmental transport (LRET) processes via atmosphere and ocean currents from continental sources to polar regions. More:

• Legacy and emerging organic contaminants in the polar regions (Research article)

There is now a global PFAA footprint that is well visible with current analytical methods and also relevant in terms of possible health impacts. More:

• Stories of Global Chemical Pollution Will We Ever Understand Environmental Persistence? (download PDF) (Research article)

• Why is high persistence alone a major cause of concern? (Research article)
• Persistent pollutants, persistent threats (Research abstract)
• To be or not to be degraded: in defense of persistence assessment of chemicals (Research article)
• Environmental Persistence of Organic Pollutants: Guidance for Development and Review of POP Risk Profiles (Research abstract)
• Considerations of temperature in the context of the persistence classification in the EU (Research article)

• Global Distribution and Budget of PCBs and HCB in Background Surface Soils: Implications for Sources and Environmental Processes (Research abstract)
• Wet Deposition of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Urban and Background Areas of the Mid-Atlantic States (Research abstract)

• Synthetic organohalides in the sea - Proceedings of the Royal Society of London (download PDF) (Research article)
• DDT and PCB in Marine Animals from Swedish Waters (Research abstract)

• Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes: chlorine atom-catalysed destruction of ozone (Research abstract)
• Large losses of total ozone in Antarctica reveal seasonal ClOx-NOx interaction (Research abstract)

• Henry’s Law constants and the air-sea exchange of various low molecular weight halocarbon gases (download PDF) (Research article)

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)  –  EU ECHA
• Environmental Sources, Chemistry, Fate, and Transport of Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Research article)
• Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) (Research article)
• Regulating PFAS as a Chemical Class under the California Safer Consumer Products Program (Research article)

• The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out (Research article)
• Information Requirements under the Essential-Use Concept- PFAS Case Studies (Research article)

Noise and chemical pollution in our oceans are affecting marine mammals' ability to navigate, communicate and detect danger. More:

• The hidden ocean pollution killing marine mammals  –  BBC Future

• Coastal landfills risk leaking long-banned toxic chemicals into the ocean  –  The Conversation
• Shocking' levels of PCB chemicals in UK killer whale Lulu  –  BBC News
• Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast- ubiquitous but transitory? (Research article)
• Toxicity Reference Values for the Toxic Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls to Aquatic Mammals (Research abstract)

• Polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with reduced testes weights in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) (Research abstract)
• Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls Are Still Associated with Toxic Effects in Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Despite Having Fallen below Proposed Toxicity Thresholds (Research abstract)
• Juvenile harbor porpoises in the UK are exposed to a more neurotoxic mixture of PCBs than adults (Research article)

• Polluted porpoises: Generational transfer of organic contaminants in harbour porpoises from the southern North Sea (Research article)
• Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena: Legacy of Pollutant Exposure? (Research article)

Chemicals are the invisible guests in our kitchens. You can’t see them but they are everywhere. Simply making a meal can be a toxic minefield. Dangerous chemicals lurk in just about every step of the prep: PFAS “forever chemicals” in nonstick cookware, bisphenol in plastic containers, lead in ceramics, arsenic in pans, formaldehyde in cutting boards and the list goes on. More:

• Wooden spoons and glass mugs: how to avoid toxic chemicals in your kitchen  –  The Guardian

• Is modern life poisoning me? I took the tests to find out  –  The Guardian
• Testing My Stuff For Lead  –  Natural Baby Mama
• Testing My Stuff For Lead: Part 2  –  Natural Baby Mama

• Safest Non-Toxic Parchment Paper Without PFAS -Forever Chemicals  –  Mamavation
• GuerrillaXRFTesting: Crockpots  –  Lead Safe Mama
• Always Pan tests positive for Lead, Chromium, Titanium, Cobalt & more (14 metals) using XRF technology  –  Lead Safe Mama
• What is XRF (X-ray fluorescence) and How Does it Work?  –  ThermoFisher

• Health Department Issues Lead Warning to New Yorkers: Avoid Using Traditional Ceramic Ware for Food and Drinks; May contain Lead  –  NYC Health
• CPG Sec. 545.450 Pottery (Ceramics); Import and Domestic - Lead Contamination (download PDF)  –  US FDA
• Multi-scale characterization of bamboo bonding interfaces with phenol-formaldehyde resin of different molecular weight to study the bonding mechanism (Research article)

• Plastic Products Contain Toxic Chemicals  –  Consumer Reports
• Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are contaminating plastic food containers  –  The Guardian
• Bisphenol: what to know about the chemicals in water bottles and cans  –  The Guardian

• Polyamide Kitchen Utensils: Keep contact with hot food as brief as possible (download PDF)  –  Germany BfR
• Consumer use effects on nanoparticle release from commercially available ceramic cookware (Research abstract)
• Aluminum contamination of food during culinary preparation- Case study with aluminum foil and consumers’ preferences (Research article)
• Covering your product certification needs. Form food to drinking water (Factsheet) (download PDF)  –  NSF International

• Food additive or carcinogen? The growing list of chemicals banned by EU but used in US  –  The Guardian
• Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk  –  US NCI
• Formaldehyde and Your Health  –  US ATSDR
• Melamine, beyond the kidney: A ubiquitous endocrine disruptor and neurotoxicant? (Research abstract)
• Toxicological Profile for Nickel (Report) (download PDF)  –  US ATSDR
• Mineral Oils: Untreated and Mildly Treated  –  US NCI-Mineral Oils

• You Can’t Always Trust Claims on ‘Non-Toxic’ Cookware  –  Consumer Reports
• How the FDA’s food division fails to regulate health and safety hazards  –  POLITICO
• Banned bread: why does the US allow additives that Europe says are unsafe?  –  The Guardian
• EPA is falsifying risk assessments for dangerous chemicals, say whistleblowers  –  The Guardian
• Unpacking the Fragrance Industry: Policy Failures, the Trade Secret Myth and Public Health (Report) (download PDF)  –  WVE

Twenty-two sanitary pads, panty liners and incontinence pads have detectable levels of fluorine, an indicator of the group of chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new report from Mamavation. The environmental wellness blog and community had 46 pads products tested by a U.S.-Environmental-Protection-Agency-certified lab. More:

• Evidence of PFAS in sanitary and incontinence pads  –  EHN
• What are PFAS?  –  EHN

• Investigation: PFAS on our shelves and in our bodies  –  EHN
• Unintentional PFAS in products: A “jungle” of contamination  –  EHN

• PFAS -Forever Chemicals- in Sanitary Pads & Incontinence Pads-Report 2022  –  Mamavation
• Report: 65% of Period Underwear Likely Contaminated with PFAS  –  Mamavation
• Evidence of PFAS found in tampons — including organic brands  –  EHN

Potentially life-saving insecticidal malaria nets, designed to be biologically effective for at least 3 years, may stop working well after just 12 months, suggests research of their use in one East African country. More:

• Long-lasting insecticidal malaria nets' biological effectiveness may be short-lived  –  MedialXPress
• Long-lasting insecticidal nets provide protection against malaria for only a single year in Burundi (download PDF) (Research article)

Reductive water treatment using hydrated electrons is a promising technology to destruct perfluoroalkyl substances; however, it faces challenges of slow reaction kinetics, undesirable chemical addition, and high energy consumption. Researchers developed a hydrogen-polarized water photolysis system using vacuum UV (VUV) light at 185 nm for reductive destruction of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). More:

• Hydrogen-polarized vacuum ultraviolet photolysis system for enhanced destruction of perfluoroalkyl substances (Research article)

Investors with US$8 trillion under management and advice are calling on the world’s biggest chemical producers to phase out persistent chemicals as the annual ChemScore ranking, released today, shows the industry is doing little to halt an emerging global crisis. More:

• Investors with $8 trillion call for phase-out of dangerous “forever chemicals”  –  ChemSec
• ChemScore Report 2022  –  ChemScore

The Western Virginia Water Authority is spending millions of dollars on an advanced filter system to keep a dangerous “forever chemical” made by Chemours chemical company from fouling the drinking water it distributes to customers in the Roanoke area. More:

• Opinion/Editorial: PFAS denials leave polluters unaccountable  –  The Daily Progress