An article in the local newspaper caught Andrea Amico’s eye in May 2014. It reported that one of the three drinking-water wells at a sprawling business and industrial park nearby was shut down because of high levels of chemical contamination. More:

• Why limiting PFAS in drinking water is a challenge in the US  –  C&EN

In the 1970s, fire regulations began requiring the addition of chemical flame retardants (CFRs) to a variety of consumer products. Now, we find these compounds in products as diverse as cell phones, televisions, computers, clothing, upholstered furniture, and carpets. While CFRs meet certain standards for slowing the ignition and spread of fires, they also leach chemicals into indoor air and dust and have been found in food and water. More:

• Regrettable Replacements: The Case of Chemical Flame Retardants  –  Canada's National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health
• Flame Retardants  –  US NIH
• Flame retardants - Canada  –  Government of Canada
• Chemical fire retardants  –  Science Learning Hub
• Phosphate Ester Flame Retardants  –  US ASTDR

• Are cell phones an indicator of personal exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers? (Research article)
• Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Flame Retardants: Temporal Variability and Correlations with House Dust Concentrations (Research article)

• Toxic roulette  –  Chicago Tribute
• Harmful chemicals removed from products often replaced with something as bad or worse  –  Harvard T.H. Chan
• Global flammability standards.  –  Camira
• Want to Avoid Toxic Couch Chemicals? Just Look for New Label!  –  NRDC

Chemical pollutants mean bad news for the environment, but some types are far more harmful than others. At the extreme end of the spectrum are toxic substances such as PFAS and GenX ,which fall into a class known as “forever chemicals” for their ability to endure in the environment for a very long time. Rice University researchers have happened upon a powerful new tool they say could help neutralize this threat, offering a new catalyst that can destroy them in a matter of hours. More:

• Boron nitride catalyst destroys toxic PFAS "forever chemicals"  –  New Atlas
• This makeup ingredient could destroy 99% of ‘forever chemicals’  –  Grist
• Boron nitride destroys PFAS 'forever' chemicals PFOA, GenX  –  ScienceDaily
• Efficient Photocatalytic PFOA Degradation over Boron Nitride (Research abstract)

In 2014, my world changed forever when I learned my family was exposed to contaminated drinking water containing high levels of PFAS. Since then, I haven't stopped worrying about my family's health," says Andrea Amico, a New Hampshire resident and PFAS community advocate turned national activist. More:

• Op-ed: PFAS chemicals—the other immune system threat  –  EHN
• Resources on PFAS  –  PFAS Exchange

• Toxicological Profile- Perfluoroalkyls  –  US ATSDR
• What are the health effects of PFAS?  –  US ATSDR
• Perfluorooctanoic Acid or Perfluorooctane Sulfonate  –  US NTP

• Scientific Basis for Managing PFAS as a Chemical Class (Research article)
• Risk Management for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) under TSCA  –  US EPA
• The concept of essential use for determining when uses of PFASs can be phased out (Research article)

• PFAS-Free Products  –  PFAS - Free Products
• Detox Me app: Tips for healthier living  –  Silent Spring Institute

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in medicine and medical devices is grossly underestimated, and physicians have an ethical obligation to talk about these exposures with their patients, according to a new study. More:

• The danger of hormone-mimicking chemicals in medical devices and meds  –  EHN
• Unwitting Accomplices: Endocrine Disruptors Confounding Clinical Care (Research article)

Contrary to the Biblical adage, we do not necessarily reap what we sow. As researchers specializing in plant pathology and entomology, we have devoted our careers to understanding and managing plant pests and pathogens. We are also gardeners with varying levels of experience and have seen firsthand the damage these insects and disease-causing agents can inflict. More:

• How to manage plant pests and diseases in your victory garden  –  The Conversation
• Soil Testing Laboratory  –  West Virginia University
• Introduction to Plant Viruses, the Invisible Foe​​  –  APS
• Powdery Mildew –  West Virginia University
• A Community for Naturalists  –  iNaturalist

Firefighters face dangers beyond the blaze itself. Their work subjects them to carcinogens from burning materials, as well as toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from flame-suppressing foams. A new study finds that firefighters can also be exposed to PFAS over time through another source: their protective clothing. More:

• Protective gear could expose firefighters to PFAS  –  C&EN
• What is the price of fire safety?  –  C&EN
• A guide to the PFAS found in our environment  –  C&EN
• Firefighter Cancer Study –  US NIOSH
• Another Pathway for Firefighter Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Firefighter Textiles (Research abstract)

This year, 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe). Icipe was founded in 1970 by the late Kenyan scientist, Prof. Thomas Risley Odhiambo. This was at a time when the very notion that insect science – or indeed, the then woefully small indigenous African scientific communities – could contribute to a prosperous future for Africa, must have seemed audacious to say the least. More:

• A brief history of icipe@50  –  ICIPE

Scientists have even managed to measure the precise harm that a single microgram/cubic meter increase in air pollution has on a population, which, according to researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is “an 8% increase in mortality from COVID-19.” More:

• Scientists pin blame for some coronavirus deaths on air pollution, PFAS, and other chemicals  –  The Intercept
• Coronavirus and Air Pollution  –  Harvard Chan School of Public Health
• Association between short-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 infection: Evidence from China (Research article)
• Role of the chronic air pollution levels in the Covid-19 outbreak risk in Italy (Research article)
• Correlation between environmental pollution indicators and COVID-19 pandemic: A brief study in Californian context (Research article)

A new study has identified a possible link between exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and celiac disease in young people. More:

• Chemical pollutant exposure linked to celiac disease in young people  –  Medical News Today
• Persistent Organic Pollutants Impact on Child Health (Report)  –  WHO
• Definition & Facts for Celiac Disease  –  National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• Persistent organic pollutant exposure and celiac disease A pilot study (Research abstract)

A new study reveals that polybrominated biphenyl-153 (PBB-153) — a flame retardant present in older consumer products, which has been banned since 1976 — may cause serious birth defects by altering the genetic code in sperm. The new study into this common household chemical raises questions about the present-day consequences of corporate malfeasance nearly half a century ago. More:

• A flame retardant commonly found in vintage furniture may be affecting human sperm  –  Salon
• The toxic chemical whack-a-mole game  –  Salon
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) Factsheet  –  Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention
• Detrimental effects of flame retardant, PBB153, exposure on sperm and future generations (Research article)
• Hand-Me-Down Hazard Flame Retardants in Discarded Foam Products (Research article)

More than 10,000 years of domestication have made dogs strikingly similar to humans, from their ability to read facial our expressions to our closely related genomes. Now, a new study reveals that dogs and humans carry the same toxic chemicals in their bodies—a discovery that could possibly improve human health. More:

• Dogs can be 'early-warning systems' for toxic chemical exposure at home  –  National Geographic
• Chemicals Within Us  –  National Geographic
• Comparative Exposure Assessment Using Silicone Passive Samplers Indicates That Domestic Dogs Are Sentinels To Support Human Health Research (Research abstract)
• Silicone Pet Tags Associate Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-isopropyl) Phosphate Exposures with Feline Hyperthyroidism (Research abstract)
• Detection of herbicides in the urine of pet dogs following home lawn chemical application (Research abstract)

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has officially published its adoption of stringent, health-based drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and have been linked to various health problems in people. More:

• New Jersey Adopts Strict Drinking Water Standards for PFOA and PFOS  –  ASPE Pipeline
• Affirming national leadership role, New Jersey publishes formal stringent drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS  –  N.J. Department of Environmental Protection

The challenge was to identify the new compound. Because the company didn’t reveal the chemistry of the replacement — in fact had kept its details purposefully obscured on the grounds that it was confidential business information — the scientists had to resort to expensive, painstaking detective work to figure out what chemical the company was now using and whether they were releasing it into the environment. More:

• New PFAS Chemical Contamination Discovered in New Jersey  –  The Intercept
• New Teflon Toxin Causes Cancer in Lab Animals  –  The Intercept
• Nontargeted mass-spectral detection of chloroperfluoropolyether carboxylates in New Jersey soils (Research abstract)
• Developmental toxicity of perfluorononanoic acid in mice  –  (Research abstract)
• Filling gaps in science exposes gaps in chemical regulation  –  (Research summary)

Their latest win came in March, when the EU executive vowed “to address the unnecessary and unwanted use of chemicals” in products. The announcement was part of the Circular Economy Action Plan, known as the bloc’s masterplan for safer, longer lasting, and recyclable products. More:

• Old Flames: The Quest to ban toxic retardants heats up  –  META
• Flame Retardants May Create Deadlier Fires  –  Scientific American
• Halogenated flame retardants do the fire safety benefits justify the risks (Research article)
• Toxic Loophole Recycling Hazardous Waste into New Products  –  (Report's executive summary) IPEN

Infectious disease experts, scientists, and doctors have warned about the potential for a pandemic for years. Similar to those who cautioned us about a disease like COVID-19, leading public health experts, scientists, and doctors today warn us that exposure to toxic chemicals is contributing to rates of chronic illnesses. And many of these illnesses worsen the impacts of COVID-19. More:

• Listen to experts and tackle the toxic chemical crisis contributing to chronic disease  –  The Hill
• Confronting the chemicals that are worsening COVID-19  –  EHN
• PFAS: A Nonstick Nightmare  –  Toxic Free Future
• EDC-2: The Endocrine Society's Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (Scientific review)
• Detection of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in U.S. Drinking Water Linked to Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, and Wastewater Treatment Plants (Research article)

First, there was DDT. Then came BPA. The latest chemical acronym to become a household name is PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals in this class are valued as strong surfactants and for their ability to repel water, grease, and stains. Among other uses, PFAS are added to paper products designed to hold hot, greasy foods. A recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives delves into how such foods might contribute to people’s exposures to PFAS. More:

• PFAS in Food Packaging- A Hot, Greasy Exposure  –  EHP
• Dietary Habits Related to Food Packaging and Population Exposure to PFASs (Research article)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of synthetic compounds used in a variety of industrial processes and found in dozens of household items. Previous studies have linked the toxins with a variety of health problems, including cancer and high cholesterol. Winds can carry PFAS pollution several miles away from manufacturing facilities, according to a new study. More:

• Wind can carry PFAS pollution miles away from manufacturing facilities  –  UPI
• Elevated PFAS levels found in tap water in major U.S. cities  –  UPI
• Evidence of Air Dispersion: HFPO–DA and PFOA in Ohio and West Virginia Surface Water and Soil near a Fluoropolymer Production Facility (Research abstract)

The foams, dubbed aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), were a boon to firefighters. Special perfluorinated chemicals gave AFFF unique hydrophobic and surfactant properties, allowing it to rapidly seal over burning fuel and prevent reignition once a blaze had been extinguished. By the 1970s, AFFF was in use at most military bases, airports, refineries, and many civilian fire departments around the world. More:

• PFAS-free firefighting foams: Are they safer?  –  EHN
• PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported  –  EWG
• Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet  –  US CDC
• Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances in a Cohort of Women Firefighters and Office Workers in San Francisco (Research abstract)

Substances used for air conditioning in almost all new cars are building up in the environment and may pose a threat to human health, researchers say. More:

• Ozone layer: Concern grows over threat from replacement chemicals  –  BBC
• Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)  –  US FDA
• Toxicological Profile- Perfluoroalkyls  –  US ATSDR