On 1 January 2015 California implemented the first U.S. rule mandating that certain products containing polyurethane foam be labeled to identify whether they contain chemical flame retardants. Furniture industry experts predict flame-retardant-free couches, chairs, and other padded furnishings and products will be popular with consumers and large purchasers. More:
Environmental Health Perspectives

A study of frozen ice cores from the Tibetan Himalayas has shown that international agreements on phasing out the use of toxic persistent organic pollutants are working. Lancaster University scientists worked with colleagues from China and Germany to collect and analyse samples from ice cores which had been laid down over 30 years, to show how residues of Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the environment have changed over time. More:
PHYS ORG

Un estudio del hielo perpetuo del Himalaya tibetano ha demostrado que los acuerdos internacionales sobre eliminación el uso de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes están funcionando. Científicos de la Universidad de Lancaster trabajaron con colegas de China y Alemania para recoger y analizar muestras de núcleos de hielo de más de 30 años, para mostrar cómo los residuos de sustancias perfluoroalquilos (PFAS) en el medio ambiente han cambiado con el tiempo. More:
europa press (Spanish)

Michigan’s bald eagles are among the most contaminated birds on the planet when it comes to phased-out flame retardant chemicals in their livers, according to new research. The study found that the top predators in the Great Lakes are highly exposed to banned flame retardants, still widespread in the environment. More:
Environmental Health News

México ha eliminado entre el 2009 y 2014, 932 toneladas de bifenilos policlorados, de 33,000 toneladas que se estima existen en equipos con uso actual en zonas poblacionales, instituciones educativas y empresas del sector privado y público. More:
El Economista (Spanish)

For the first time, a new study borrows a medical research tool to pinpoint fluorochemicals in the blood of firefighters, identifying novel compounds that have never before been publicly reported. More:
Chemical & Engineering News

The bald eagle population, once so decimated by the pesticide DDT that only a single pair nested in New Jersey, is on the rebound. The statewide population now numbers 156 pairs, thanks to the efforts of the federal government and several generations of conservationists. More:
NorthJersey.com

West Palm Beach, Fla. — Rising from a denuded landscape not far from this area’s famed beaches, the nation’s first new commercial garbage incinerator in 20 years is about to be fired up, ready to blast up to 3,000 tons of trash a day into electricity for thousands of houses. More:
The New York Times

Levels of the flame retardants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have dropped dramatically in the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay since government regulations led to an industry phase-out a decade ago. Action was taken on PBDEs in the US when evidence emerged that the chemicals can bioaccumulate and may be toxic. More:
ChemistryWorld

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from certain chemicals that have the potential to cause a range of health effects from cancer to reproductive and developmental harm to people and aquatic organisms. Actions address chemicals proposed for addition to the Stockholm Convention. More:
US EPA

According to the bank, a total of $6.3m was provided as grant to Nigeria to manage the impact of the hazardous chemical, out of which $2.2m was spent between 2012 and 2014. PCBs are chemical compounds used in electrical transformers and capacitors as dielectric fluids worldwide and the substance has aroused global attention due to their documented threats to human and environmental well-being. More:
PUNCH - Nigeria

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has held a workshop to review the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), highly toxic substances released into the environment through human activity. More:
www.spyghana.com - Ghana

Ces résultats font partie du rapport annuel 2012 de l'Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments (EFSA) sur les résidus de pesticides dans les aliments. Le rapport est basé sur l'analyse de près de 79 000 échantillons alimentaires effectués par 27 États membres de l'UE, l'Islande et la Norvège. More:
EFSA (French)

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases. More:
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - USA

Los peces de la Antártida acumulan en su organismo distintos compuestos sintéticos de uso agroquímico, industrial o farmacéutico, por lo cual se han usado como “sensores” para registrar la contaminación ambiental. Ahora, científicos argentinos sugieren una estrategia para mejorar la precisión de las mediciones. More:
ARGENPRESS.info (Spanish)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable approach to reduce pesticide use and risks of adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, its adoption by European farmers cannot be based only on mandatory regulation by the European Union, a new study suggests. The research identified four key factors driving IPM adoption; including market forces, policy instruments and farmers’ attitudes to the environment. More:
Science for Environment Policy

A more efficient method for sorting plastic electronics waste containing harmful chemicals is proposed by a new study. The method combines two analytical techniques that together can quickly and accurately detect levels of flame retardants in plastics used by the electronics industry. More:
Science for Environment Policy

A United Nations committee of experts recommended the global elimination of the pesticide pentachlorophenol (PCP), widely used for treatment of wooden utility poles and railroad ties. Scientists cite chemical’s persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and PCP’s toxic impacts in recommending it being listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. More:
Beyond Pesticides

Switzerland - As glaciers increasingly melt in the wake of climate change, it is not only the landscape that is affected. Thawing glaciers also release many industrial pollutants stored in the ice into the environment. More:
AZO Cleantech
Phys.org - When thawing glaciers release pollutants

Suisse - La fonte des glaciers liée au changement climatique menace de relâcher dans l'environnement des polluants d'origine industrielle qu'ils ont stockés. Une étude soutenue par le Fonds national de la recherche scientifique a analysé le cas des biphényles polychlorés sur une période allant de 1940 à 2002. More:
RTS.ch (French)