By Kenny Stancil The U.S. House on Wednesday passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021, a bill that, if passed by the U.S. Senate, would improve the regulation and facilitate the cleanup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—long-lasting synthetic chemicals that pose a threat to public and environmental…
A peer-reviewed study by scientists at the Environmental Working Group estimates that more than 200 million Americans could have the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS in their drinking water at a concentration of 1 part per trillion, or ppt, or higher. Independent scientific studies…
By Hilda Oltean Over time, the evolution of consumerism has driven big companies into looking for cheaper ways for producing basic items like packaging, cleaning products, cookware and in some cases, even cosmetics. This means that the materials used are often combined with toxic chemicals…
Scientists at the Environmental Working Group and Indiana University have for the first time conducted a review of 26 fluorinated chemicals, or PFAS, and found that all display at least one characteristic of known human carcinogens. The study, published today in the International Journal of…
Researchers from North Carolina State University have found elevated levels of 11 per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals in the blood of Cape Fear River striped bass. Two of those compounds – perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and Nafion byproduct 2 – are associated with altered immune and…
The water filter on your refrigerator door, the pitcher-style filter you keep inside the fridge and the whole-house filtration system you installed last year may function differently and have vastly different price tags, but they have one thing in common. They may not remove all…
By Kenny Stancil Millions of people throughout the United States “are unwittingly drinking water that includes an invisible toxic cocktail made up of contaminants linked to cancer, brain damage, and other serious health harms,” according to the Environmental Working Group, which updated its nationwide Tap Water…
By Kenny Stancil Bolstering calls for stronger PFAS regulations and more testing, a new analysis released Tuesday finds nearly 42,000 potential sources of toxic “forever chemicals” that could contaminate drinking water in communities throughout the United States. In their peer-reviewed study, which was published in a…
By Jenna McGuire Maine enacted a groundbreaking law on Thursday, banning the use of so-called “forever chemicals” in all products by 2030, except in instances deemed “currently unavoidable.” Maine is the first state in the U.S. and first government in the world to implement a…
By Kenny Stancil Between 2012 and 2020, fossil fuel corporations injected potentially carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or chemicals that can degrade into PFAS, into the ground while fracking for oil and gas, after former President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency approved their use despite…
By Jasmin Hassan, Karolinska Institutet; Pauliina Damdimopoulou, Karolinska Institutet, and Richelle Duque Björvang, Karolinska Institutet Birth rates are decreasing worldwide. In all European countries they’re even dropping below population replacement levels, which refers to the number of children needed per woman to keep a population…
By Courtney Gilardi with Patricia Burke Courtney’s Story: There is an unspoken agreement that when you become a parent, you do everything in your power to protect your children. But how do I, or any parent protect our children when a cell tower is illegally…
By Megan Redshaw On Tuesday, the Guardian released the results of a nine-month investigation conducted jointly with Consumer Reports (CR) which showed alarming levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and chemicals from plastic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in drinking water samples across the…
By Megan Redshaw, J.D., Children’s Health Defense A new peer-reviewed article links phthalates, a group of neurotoxic chemicals found in hundreds of consumer products including toys, floor coverings and food packaging, to long-lasting neurodevelopmental harm in fetuses, infants and children. The authors of the study,…
Microplastics (plastics <5mm) and their negative health impacts have been studied in oceans, rivers, and even soils, and scientists are beginning to grapple with the myriad human health impacts their presence might have. One understudied, but critical, link in the cycle is groundwater, which is…
By Gregory A. Cade In the ’60s, the U.S. Navy started to develop alongside 3M a type of fire suppressant foam that could contain fuel fires such as those that could happen in airport hangars and other military facilities. Starting the early ’70s, the foam…
Elevated blood levels of toxic chemicals found in pesticides, nonstick cookware, and fire retardants have been tied to an increased risk for celiac disease in young people, new research shows. According to NYU Grossman School of Medicine researchers who led the study, people with the…
A growing health crisis fueled by synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in groundwater has garnered much attention in the last few years. The reported levels could be “just the tip of the iceberg,” as most of the chemicals are still…
Children with higher concentrations of a certain chemical in their blood are more likely to get cavities, according to a new study by West Virginia University School of Dentistry researchers. Manufactured chemical g roups called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are universal as a result of…
By Sara Tipton With our crazy busy schedules, it is often difficult to carve out enough time to cook a nice meal the entire family can sit down and enjoy together. But making the time to have a home-cooked meal as a family is a…
