The environmental protection agency has released its plan for tackling widespread contamination by the highly toxic persistent industrial compounds known as PFAS, which have been found in drinking water around the country. The agency’s “PFAS Strategic Roadmap” is part of an interagency push by the Biden administration to combat the chemicals, which are associated with a range of health problems and last indefinitely in the environment. More:

• People exposed to PFAS criticize EPA action plan as too little, too late  –  The Intercept
• Bad Chemistry  –  The Intercept
• The Teflon Toxin  –  The Intercept
• Reconciling Terminology of the Universe of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Recommendations and Practical Guidance  –  OECD

• New Teflon Toxin Causes Cancer in Lab Animals  –  The Intercept
• Toxic PFAS Chemicals Discovered in Hundreds of Products  –  The Intercept
• Poisoning the Well: PFCs from Toxic Foam in Drinking Water  –  The Intercept
• Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found on Maine Farms Fertilized with Sewage Sludge  –  The Intercept

• National PFAS Testing Strategy: Identification of Candidate Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) for Testing  –  US EPA
• PFAS Petition to require health and environmental testing under TSCA of certain PFAS  –  North Caroline Petitioners

• PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021—2024 (Roadmap) –  US EPA
• ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Regulated as a Class  –  EWG
• Scientists letter to U.S. EPA on PFAS definition  –  EWG et al.
• EPA Continues to Approve Toxic PFAS Chemicals Despite Widespread Contamination  –  The Intercept

Anglers who fish Piscataway Creek off the Potomac River are being warned to limit their consumption of what they catch after Maryland regulators discovered elevated levels of so-called “forever chemicals” in fish downstream of Joint Base Andrews, an air base in Prince George’s County. More:

• ‘Forever chemicals’ trigger first fish consumption warning in Chesapeake region  –  Bay Journal
• ‘Forever chemicals’ found in Chesapeake seafood and Maryland drinking water  –  Bay Journal
• Department of the Environment issues first fish consumption advisory for PFAS  –  Maryland Department of the Environment

• Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS  –  US EPA

• PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA's Commitments to Action 2021-2024  –  US EPA

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, or PFAS refers to more than 4,000 man-made chemicals that are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment. Exposure to the chemicals has been linked to certain cancers, weakened immunity, thyroid disease, and other health effects. The E.P.A. administrator, wants to limit a class of chemicals that has been linked to cancer and is found in everything from drinking water to furniture. More:

• A Move to Rein In Cancer-Causing ‘Forever Chemicals’  –  The New York Times

The debate about what the “essential use” of a hazardous chemical is rages on in Zoom rooms and Google meets all over Europe. Following the release of the EU Commission’s Chemical Strategy almost exactly one year ago – which introduced the term essential use in EU policy – officials, industry and civil society are now battling it out in the hopes of owning the definition of this, so far, wishy washy concept. More:

• Essential Use - “We need toxic chemicals – for clothes and warm food”  –  ChemSec

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified more than 120,000 locations around the US where people may be exposed to a class of toxic “forever chemicals” associated with various cancers and other health problems that is a frightening tally four times larger than previously reported. More:

• Revealed: more than 120,000 US sites feared to handle harmful PFAS ‘forever’ chemicals  –  The Guardian
• PFAS Explained  –  US EPA

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sampling and analysis report  –  Golder

• Physicians Group Uncovers Evidence that 'Forever Chemicals' (PFAS) Have Been Used Extensively in Fracking Unbeknownst to Public  –  PSR
• Fracking with "forever chemicals" (Report)  –  PSR

• Twelvefold increase in suspected industrial dischargers of ‘forever chemicals’  –  EWG

• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  EWG
• PFAS Contamination Crisis- New Data Show 2,854 Sites in 50 States (Interactive map)  –  EWG

Rodent pests have been a problem for crop-growers since Neolithic farmers pioneered planting wheat, millet, and spelt, and humans have been teaming up with raptors to hunt small prey for thousands of years. Over the last two decades, farmers throughout the United States have increasingly turned to raptors to reduce the rodents that damage their crops. More:

• Raptors Rather Than Rodenticide  –  Bay Nature

Découverte en début d'année, la pollution des sols aux dioxines concerne une bonne partie de Lausanne: du centre-ville à Sauvabelin. Dans les deux zones les plus touchées, le canton recommande de ne plus consommer les oeufs et les cucurbitacées produits sur place. More:

• La pollution aux dioxines touche une bonne partie de la Ville de Lausanne  –  RTS
• De la pollution aux dioxines découverte dans les sols de Lausanne  –  RTS
• Le Canton précise le périmètre de la pollution et arrête des recommandations sanitaires  –  Canton de Vaud
• Les pollutions aux dioxines devraient être mieux surveillées en Suisse romande  –  RTS
• Pollution des sols aux dioxines  –  Canton de Vaud

A study finds almost 42,000 potential sources of the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that could be polluting surface water or drinking water in communities across the U.S. PFAS pollution affects all communities, from the affluent to those near the fence lines of industrial facilities. More:

• EWG study: Almost 42,000 sources of toxic 'forever chemicals' could be polluting surface or drinking water across the U.S.  –  EWG
• The ‘Forever Chemicals’ in 99% of Americans  –  EWG

• Children’s Exposure to PFAS Chemicals Begins in the Womb  –  EWG
• Potential health effects of PFAS chemicals  –  US ATSDR
• PFAS and Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity: An EWG Fact Sheet  –  EWG

• Interactive Map - Suspected industrial discharges of PFAS  –  EWG
• Identification of point source dischargers of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the United States (Report)  –  EWG
• EPA’s plan to regulate industry ‘forever chemicals’ discharges falls short  –  EWG

• Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 2,854 sites in 50 states and two territories  –  EWG
• PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported  –  EWG
• Topical Collection on PFAS Analytics and Treatment- –  AWWA Water Science
• Is Northern Virginia a D.C.-Area Hot Spot for ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Tap Water?  –  EWG

• Wastewater Treatment Plants / Industrial Pretreatment Program  –  Michigan Department of Environment
• Municipal NPDES permitting strategy for PFOS and PFOA  –  Michigan Department of Environment
• PFAS Source Evaluation and Reduction Requirements Letter to IPP WWTPs (Letter to Industrial Pretreatment Programs/Waste Water Treatment Plants)  –  Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Canton Vaud councillor Béatrice Métraux said 126 sites were studied for dioxin contamination in the western Swiss city. The problem is worse than had been expected: a total of 26 sites were found to have concentrations over the cantonal limit (100 nanograms per kilo). Residents have been advised to avoid local free-range eggs and certain vegetables. More:

• High levels of dioxin found in Lausanne soils  –  SWI swissinfo

The United Nations Human Rights Council acknowledged that access to a "safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment" is a basic human right. The new resolution -- proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland -- passed with significant support of 43 votes. More:

• UN says access to a 'clean, healthy' environment is a human right  –  CNN

- Every year, approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The malady extinguishes firing nerve cells, severing the highways between our brain and muscles. People progressively lose their ability to walk, talk, eat—and eventually their last breath—within two to five years. No one knows the causes, no one knows the cure. But a study sheds light on a potential contributor to the disease: pesticide exposure. More:

• Higher estimated pesticide exposures linked to ALS risk  –  EHN

• What is Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?  –  US CDC
• ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)  –  Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• What is ALS?  –  The ALS Association

• Pesticides applied to crops and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk in the U.S (Research abstract)
• Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Population-Based Case-Control Study (Research article)
• Environmental Risk Factors and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A Case-Control Study of ALS in Michigan (Research article)

• Pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease: Epidemiological evidence of association (Research article)

• Acute exposure to a glyphosate-containing herbicide formulation inhibits Complex II and increases hydrogen peroxide in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (Research abstract)
• Complete inhibition of spontaneous activity in neuronal networks in vitro by deltamethrin and permethrin (Research abstract)
• Mancozeb affects mitochondrial activity, redox status and ATP production in mouse granulosa cells (Research abstract)

The latest contaminants of concern in the creek draining Madison’s East Side: PFAS, hazardous chemicals being flagged across Wisconsin. More:

• Something has to be done’: Living along Madison’s Starkweather Creek, one of Wisconsin’s most polluted waterways  –  Wisconsin Watch
• PFAS chemical exposure: How can I be exposed?  –  US ATSDR
• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR

• 3M's support for PFAS could cost taxpayers billions of dollars  –  StarTribune
• State and Federal Efforts to Address PFAS Contamination  –  NCSL

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that bans the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from paper, paperboard or plant-based food packaging, utensils and paper straws, effective January 1, 2023. The law known as AB 1200 also requires manufacturers to label cookware that contains toxic chemicals on product handles or coatings, starting January 1, 2024. More:

• California bans toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in food packaging and paper straws  –  EWG
• Many Fast Food Wrappers Still Coated in PFCs, Kin to Carcinogenic Teflon Chemical  –  EWG
• What’s Cooking? PFAS and Other Chemical Hazards in Nonstick Cooking and Baking Pans  –  Ecology Center
• The last straw: Characterization of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercially-available plant-based drinking straws (Research abstract)

PFAS, the chemical substances present in products like anti-stick pans and raincoats, are so hazardous for the environment and human health that there is talk about banning them. But the chemical company Chemours (previously Dupont) in Dordrecht continues to fight a previous European decision to qualify GenX – PFAS type substances – as a substance of high concern. More:

• Chemours to the European Court for hazardous GenX  –  Plastic Soup Foundation

• Action on ‘GenX’: Another ‘forever chemical’ added to the EU list of substances of very high concern  –  ChemTrust
• EU Court hearing on GenX: company Chemours challenges EU authority  –  ChemTrust

• EPA Takes Action to Investigate PFAS Contamination  –  US EPA
• Beyond paper: PFAS linked to common plastic packaging used for food, cosmetics, and much more  –  EDF
• New publication: Forever chemicals widespread in disposable food packaging  –  Erase all toxins
• Throwaway Packaging, Forever Chemicals (Study)  –  Arnika, Bund, IPEN, ChemTrust

• Use of PFAS in cosmetics 'widespread,' new study finds  –  EurekAlert
• Fluorinated Compounds in North American Cosmetics (Research article)

Traces of 122 different pesticides have been found in 12 most polluted fruit and veg products, many with links to cancer. Almost all grapes and oranges contain a “cocktail of pesticides” according to research, which has singled out the most polluted fruit and vegetables in our shopping trolleys. More:

• Cocktail of pesticides in almost all oranges and grapes, UK study finds  –  The Guardian
• Firms making billions from ‘highly hazardous’ pesticides, analysis finds  –  The Guardian

It’s been more than 30 years since the public first learned that the former Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. buried industrial fluids containing the carcinogen polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in pits along the natural gas line, including in Shermans Dale. More:

• Cancer-causing wastes still exist along the Texas Eastern pipeline 30 years after settlement  –  PENNLive

As the movement grows, we thought it would be interesting to ask the companies about the biggest challenges connected to moving away from PFAS. Their answers weren’t really that surprising to us. Still, it’s useful to be able to confirm our assumptions – and obviously nice to pat ourselves on the back for being right all along. More:

• 50 companies have joined the PFAS Movement – we asked them about their biggest PFAS challenges  –  ChemSec
• No to PFAS  –  ChemSec

Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings filed a lawsuit Wednesday against agrochemical giant Monsanto and two of its corporate spinoffs for long-lasting damage to Delaware’s natural resources. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages and clean-up costs associated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), extremely toxic and persistent chemicals which Monsanto manufactured for decades, despite knowing the dangers they posed to the environment and public health. More:

• AG Jennings sues Monsanto for PCB contamination  –  State of Delaware News
• State of Delaware's Complaint  –  Attorney General Delaware

• Public Health Implications of Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)  –  US Public Health Service & US EPA

Hinkley, California, USA, 1952-1966: A Pacific Gas and Electric powerplant releases 1.4 billion liters (370 million gallons) of wastewater laced with carcinogenic chromium-6 into unlined ponds, polluting groundwater for the town’s 2,000 residents. The “novel entities” planetary boundary encapsulates all toxic and long-lived substances that humans release into the environment — from heavy metals and radioactive waste, to industrial chemicals and pesticides, even novel living organisms — which can threaten the stability of the Earth system. .More:

• Novel chemical entities: Are we sleepwalking through a planetary boundary?  –  Mongabay
• The nine boundaries humanity must respect to keep the planet habitable  –  Mongabay
• Stockholm Resilience Centre  –  Stockholm Resilience Centre
• Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet (Research article)

• PCB chemical threat to Europe's killer whales and dolphins  –  BBC News
• Case Summary: GE Agrees to Further Investigate Upper Hudson River Floodplain in a Comprehensive Study to Cost About $20.5 Million  –  US EPA
• What are PFAS chemicals, and what are they doing to our health?  –  CNN
• Estimated exposures to perfluorinated compounds in infancy predict attenuated vaccine antibody concentrations at age 5-years (Research article)
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (Research article)

• UN report: Urgent action needed to tackle chemical pollution as global production is set to double by 2030  –  UNEP
• For European chemical giants, Brazil is an open market for toxic pesticides banned at home  –  Mongabay
• Synthetic chemicals as agents of global change (Research abstract)

• Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses (Research article)
• Antimicrobial resistance  –  WHO
• Antibiotic and pesticide susceptibility and the Anthropocene operating space (Review article)

• Understanding REACH  –  ECHA
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA): Overview –  PACE University
• How Pesticide Companies Corrupted the EPA and Poisoned America  –  The Intercept

The PFAS scandal surrounding the 3M factory in Antwerp has continued to unfold, teetering ever closer to the realms of absurdity. While Belgians are no strangers to surrealism, the scandal is as serious as it is ridiculous. As the plot progresses, its dramatic turns could make a worthy sequel to Mark Ruffalo’s Dark Waters – Donkere Waters anyone? More:

• Surreally serious: PFAS paralysis follows astonishing scandal  –  META
• Talking industry accountability: Will the polluter pay?  –  META
• The link between forever growth and Belgium's 'forever chemicals' scandal  –  META

• PFOS: Committee of enquiry begins its work, but what is that work?  –  The Brussels Times
• Environmental Liability  –  European Commission
• Evaluation and Revision under Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)  –  European Commission
• The Polluter Pays Principle: Inconsistent application across EU environmental policies and actions (Special report)  –  European Court of Auditors