Earlier this week, the residents of East Palestine were told by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that not only was everything okay, but that also, the local water was “safe to drink.” They allegedly made that determination after testing the water in several different wells that feed into the town’s municipal water system. In…

Eating just one locally caught freshwater fish could be equivalent to drinking water that’s highly contaminated with “forever chemicals”—or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—for a month, a recent study has found. PFAS are invisible man-made chemicals, high levels of which have been linked to health issues including various cancers, reproductive issues, and adverse effects on…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering implementing a new rule that would stop some companies from avoiding reporting on how much “forever chemicals” they release into the environment. In a statement on Dec. 5, the EPA said the proposed rule would improve reporting on the toxic chemicals known as PFAS, per-, and polyfluoroalkyl substances to the…

Researchers from the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation and Flinders Institute of NanoScale Science and Engineering have found that broken coating on non-stick pans can release up to 2.3 million microplastics and nanoplastics when undergoing everyday use. This comes after scientists from the University of Newcastle and Flinders University developed an approach using Raman imaging…

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing several major chemical companies citing permanent damage to public health and the environment. The lawsuit targets manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—or PFAS. DuPont and 3M Company are among those named in the lawsuit filed in the state Superior Court in Alameda Nov. 10. The attorney general’s office…

Equipping offices with “healthier” furnishings could reduce human exposure to risky PFAS chemicals, new research suggests. To look at indoor PFAS levels, a team led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston, analyzed building dust in classrooms and common campus spaces. “Our findings provide desperately needed scientific evidence for the success of…

Alligators along North Carolina’s Cape Fear River have high blood levels of 14 toxic chemicals, along with signs of immune system damage, new research shows. The study of levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyls (PFAS) in the reptiles’ blood adds to concerns that the chemicals may cause genetic and immune system harm. Alligators are sentinel species, providing…

Firefighters and air-traffic controllers are being tested after high levels of toxic PFAS chemicals were found in a major Victorian airport drinking water. The contamination has forced the closure of the fire station at Avalon Airport, which takes domestic and international flights. United Firefighters Union aviation branch secretary Wes Garrett says about 30 firefighters are…

Munching handfuls of microwave popcorn might be perfect for movie night, but your snack could be loading your body with potentially harmful “forever chemicals,” experts warn. Many microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFAS (perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and evidence has shown that these chemicals will leach into the snack during popping. Studies have found “high…

With mounting reports warning the earth’s water supply is being tainted with hazardous human-made “forever chemicals”—known as PFAS–University of California—chemists at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Northwestern University in Illinois have found a cheap, effective solution to an issue that may pose a global threat to human health. PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals able…