Cancer is already a leading killer of firefighters, yet the standards for water-resistant uniforms, known as turnout gear, call for them to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a highly toxic class of chemicals linked to a wide variety of health problems even at very low doses. More:

• Firefighters' Catch-22: Protective gear full of carcinogens  –  E&E News

• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances- Firefighter Textiles (Research article)
• Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco (Research article)
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust (Research abstract)

Many health experts and advocates say breastfeeding is the best choice for babies but the threat of passing on contamination from PFAS is prompting new questions. Maryann Jacobs’ heart was pounding as she opened her letterbox one snowy morning last year in Hoosick Falls, a town in upstate New York bordering Vermont and Massachusetts. Inside that envelope was devastating news that her baby son Oliver’s results were worse than she had feared. More:

• ‘Am I going to regret it?': forever chemicals dilemma for breastfeeding mothers  –  The Guardian
• Why you need to know about PFAS, the chemicals in pizza boxes and rainwear  –  The Guardian

• Breastfeeding as an Exposure Pathway for Perfluorinated Alkylates (Research Article)
• Estimated Exposures to Perfluorinated Compounds in Infancy Predict Attenuated Vaccine Antibody Concentrations at Age 5-Years (Research Article)
• Infant Dietary Exposures to Environmental Chemicals and Infant/Child Health: A Critical Assessment of the Literature (Research Article)

• Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water  –  EWG
• Hoosick Falls, New York, Water Contamination Lawsuit  –  W&L
• Hoosick Falls trustees approve $225,000 agreement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell  –  Bennington Banner
• Wolverine World Wide Tannery  –  US EPA

• Understanding PFOA  –  Bennington College
• Commentary: PFOA victims deserve medical monitoring, health care  –  Times Union
• Understanding PFOA  –  Medical Anthopology Quarterly
• The Reckless Rush to Burn AFFF  –  AFFF - Bennington College
• Data Indicates That Incineration Does not Destroy PFAS Chemicals and Should Be Halted  –  Bennington.edu

Minnesota is rolling out an ambitious statewide strategy to tackle the toxic cancer-linked "forever chemicals" polluting the state's rivers, lakes and drinking water. The entire chemical class would be deemed hazardous in proposal. More:

• With PFAS everywhere, Minnesota calls for big new crackdown on the 'forever chemicals'  –  StarTribune
• Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint  –  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• PFAS 'forever chemicals' found in foam in two east metro creeks  –  StarTribune

A new study heightens concerns about firefighters’ exposure to the fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS: Nearly 99 percent of the fluorine found in tests of dust from inside fire stations likely came from unknown PFAS chemicals that could not be identified as ones that researchers had tested for. More:

• Study: Almost All Fluorine Detected in Fire Stations’ Dust Is From Unknown ‘Forever Chemicals'  –  EWG
• Firefighters Battle an Unseen Hazard: Their Gear Could Be Toxic  –  The New York Times

• New Study Confirms High PFAS Blood Levels Among Firefighters  –  EWG
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust (Research abstract)
• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Firefighter Textiles (Research abstract)

• Findings from a Study of Cancer among U.S. Fire Fighters  –  CDC
• PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer  –  US National Cancer Institute

To protect the health of people, communities and the environment, the toxic fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS should not be regulated one by one but as a class, more than a dozen scientists, including this author, argue in an article published today in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. More:

• ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Regulated as a Class  –  EWG
• Learn more about PFAS, the toxic nonstick chemicals in water  –  EWG

• Scientific Basis for Managing PFAS as a Chemical Class (Research article)
• Response to “Comment on Scientific Basis for Managing PFAS as a Chemical Class” (Research article)
• The High Persistence of PFAS is Sufficient for their Management as a Chemical Class (Research article)
• The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out (Research article)

• EPA Starts Long Process to Set Legal Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Tap Water – But Action Needed Now  –  EWG
• FDA Announces the Voluntary Phase-Out by Industry of Certain PFAS Used in Food Packaging  –  US Food and Drug Administration

• Mapping the PFAS Contamination Crisis: New Data Show 2,337 Sites in 49 States  –  EWG
• Study: Disposal of PFAS Waste Increases Contamination  –  EWG
• Population-Wide Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Drinking Water in the United States (Research abstract)

• GenX Toxicity Assessments Documents  –  US EPA
• Application of the Key Characteristics of Carcinogens to Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Research article)
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (Research article)
• EPA: GenX Nearly as Toxic as Notorious Non-Stick Chemicals It Replaced  –  EWG

The global study from the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals has found that cosmetic products can contain unwanted chemicals, including allergenic substances and substances that are suspected of being endocrine disruptors. They also found that ‘identical’ cosmetic products from the same brands can contain different chemicals depending on which country they are marketed in. More:

• Shopping for cosmetics? - Make sure you know what’s in the products  –  CHEMTrust
• High time for the EU to protect us from exposure to chemical mixtures  –  CHEMTrust
• Cosmetics worldwide - are they made in same contents? (Report)  –  The Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals
• Look out for these unwanted substances in your cosmetics (Chemicals List)

The residents of Wreck Bay, on the New South Wales south coast, allege Defence negligently allowed perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals to leech into surface water, groundwater, and soil. More:

• PFAS contamination class action filed by Jervis Bay community for cultural loss  –  ABC News
• PFAS health warning for possible contamination of popular holiday destinations across Jervis Bay  –  ABC News
• Jervis Bay residents lash out at Defence over PFAS management plan  –  ABC News

Sea lions in California had been dying of a mysterious cancer for decades. Now, scientists say they have finally uncovered the likely cause: toxic chemicals from industrial trash, pesticides and oil refinery waste. More:

• Mysterious California sea lion deaths linked to toxic synthetic chemicals  –  The Guardian
• Sea lions are dying from a mysterious cancer. The culprits? Herpes and DDT  –  Los Angeles Times
• Persistent Contaminants and Herpesvirus OtHV1 Are Positively Associated With Cancer in Wild California Sea Lions (Research article)

A South Jersey chemical company knew that a group of its “forever chemicals” was damaging to human health but hid that from federal regulators for at least six years, according to a petition filed by an advocacy group to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More:

• Company kept details on new ‘forever chemicals’ hidden for years, advocacy group tells EPA  –  NJ Spotlight News
• EPA Enforcement Request on Solvay 2021  –  EWG

Firefighters are demanding independent testing for cancer-linked chemicals known as PFAS in their gear and that their union drop sponsorships from chemical and equipment makers. More:

• Firefighters Battle an Unseen Hazard: Their Gear Could Be Toxic  –  The New York Times
• Firefighter Resources, Cancer and Other Illnesses  –  US CDC
• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Firefighter Textiles (Research abstract)

The researchers analyzed 526 drinking water samples across 66 Chinese cities for perfluoro- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are durable, man-made chemicals found in products such as textiles, firefighting foam, and pesticides. The study concluded that just under 100 million people in the examined cities have PFAS concentrations in their drinking water above safe levels. More:

• Hot Spots H2O: Research Finds High Levels of PFAS Contaminants in Chinese Drinking Water  –  Circle of Blue
• PFAS in food: EFSA assesses risks and sets tolerable intake  –  European Food Safety Authority
• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Chinese drinking water: risk assessment and geographical distribution  (Research article)

Many Americans fill up a glass of water from their faucet without worrying whether it might be dangerous. But the crisis of lead-tainted water in Flint, Mich., showed that safe, potable tap water is not a given in this country. Now a study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit advocacy organization, reveals a widespread problem: the drinking water of a majority of Americans likely contains “forever chemicals.” More:

• Forever Chemicals Are Widespread in U.S. Drinking Water  –  Scientific American
• PFAS Chemical Exposure  –  ATSDR
• Tap Water Contributions to Plasma Concentrations of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in a Nationwide Prospective Cohort of U.S. Women (Research article)
• Detection of PFASs in U.S. Drinking Water Linked to Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, and Wastewater Treatment Plants (Research abstract)
• Population-Wide Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Drinking Water in the United States (Research abstract)

An assortment of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) migrated into Anvil 10+10 from containers made of high-density polyethylene (HPDE) treated with fluorinated compounds and used to store and transport the pesticide, the EPA says. Anvil 10+10 is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide used to control mosquitoes. More:

• Mosquito spray tainted with PFAS from shipping containers  –  C&EN
• EPA Takes Action to Investigate PFAS Contamination –  U.S. EPA
• PFAS found in mosquito spray used in US states  –  C&EN

For the last two decades, the European Union has played a leadership role in tackling the risks hazardous chemicals pose to our health and environment. It has now proposed a new vision for a "toxic-free environment" and published a strategy for moving the EU towards that goal. Just as its current policies have inspired imitation, it’s likely that these new policies will drive significant changes in the U.S. and elsewhere. More:

• How the EU’s new ‘toxic-free’ vision could shape your safer chemicals strategy  –  Greenbiz
• The EU’s chemicals strategy for sustainability towards a toxic-free environment –  European Commission
• Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability 2020  –  European Commission 
• Understanding REACH  –  European Chemical Agency

• Walmart bring safer materials to the circular economy  –  Greenbiz
• IKEA: Specification on Chemical compounds and substances  –  IKEA

"Prevention is the cure for child/teen cancer." This is the welcoming statement on a website called 'TheReasonsWhy.Us', where families affected by childhood cancers can sign up for a landmark new study into the potential environmental causes. More:

• Op-ed: A push for answers about the environmental causes of child cancer  –  Environmental Health News
• Families seek answers for US rise in childhood cancers  –  The Guardian
• The Reason Why Us - Prevention is the Cure for Child/Teen Cancer  –  TheReasonWhy.Us
• Childhood Cancer Prevention (Report)  – CFE

Shredded carpet waste is increasingly used in equestrian riding centers. This waste is used along with polyflakes (a residual product from the textile industry) and geopad (shredded geotextile fabric). Crushed used car tires are applied to sports fields and playgrounds; this is what makes up the so-called rubber granulate. More:

• Children's playgrounds are a source of toxic microplastics  –  Plastic Soup Foundation
• Toxic Playgrounds  –  Youtube
• How hazardous carpet waste ends up in horse riding arenas  –  Plastic Soup Foundation

A study led by scientists at the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found high levels of PCBs were linked to smaller testicles in otherwise healthy animals. More:

• Ocean pollutants 'have negative effect on male fertility'  –  BBC News
• 'Cocktail of pollutants' found in dolphins in English Channel  –  BBC News
• 'Toxic chemical cocktail' passed to baby porpoises  –  BBC News
• Polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with reduced testes weights in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) (Research article)

Toxicologists are expressing concern that exposure to per- or poly-fluorinated substances (PFASs) can increase a person’s likelihood of developing severe Covid-19. There are also warning that PFASs could also diminish the effectiveness of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. More:

• PFAS exposure found to increase risk of severe Covid-19  –  Chemistry World
• Severity of COVID-19 at elevated exposure to perfluorinated alkylates (Research article)

The chemicals in our environments, while sometimes useful, can also hurt us. Materials like asbestos fibers can move through the air and into the lungs in the form of tiny particles, causing long-term damage to human tissues. But free-floating, harmful chemicals are also emitted from the furniture, wallpaper, flooring, and household items around us. And these chemicals are entering our bodies, damaging them in many different ways. More:

• Chemicals called SVOCs, emitted from household objects, are altering children's microbiomes  –  Massive Science
• Dietary Exposure to the Environmental Chemical, PFOS on the Diversity of Gut Microbiota, Associated With the Development of Metabolic Syndrome (Research article)
• A framework to model exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in indoor environments (Research abstract)

• Tracking SVOCs’ Transfer from Products to Indoor Air and Settled Dust with Deuterium-Labeled Substances (Research article)
• Indoor SVOC pollution in China: a review (Research article)
• Monitoring and analytics of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in indoor air (Research abstract)

• Indoor Air Quality - SVOCs and Health –  Scientific Findings Resource Bank (IAQ-SFRB)
• House Dust Concentrations of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Relation to Hormone Levels and Semen Quality Parameters (Research article)
• Health ranking of ingested semi‐volatile organic compounds in house dust: an application to France (Research abstract)
• Exposures to Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Environments and Associations with the Gut Microbiomes of Children (Research abstract)

• Role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health (Scientific analysis)
• The gut microbiome in health and in disease (Research article)

A Michigan-based environmental group has found many nonstick pans are coated with a chemical from the PFAS family. The group tested 14 cooking pans and 10 baking pans from different retailers in different price ranges. It found 77% of the cooking pans were coated with PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene. 20% of the baking pans had PTFE. More:

• Nonstick pans often don't note they use PFAS  –  Michigan Radio
• Undisclosed PFAS coatings common on cookware, research shows  –  Ecology Center
• What's Cooking? Nonstick Pan Study 2020  –  Ecology Center