In the News

EPA failed to monitor GenX chemical for eight years (The Fayetteville Observer | May 28, 2020)
The EPA’s regional office wasn’t told it was supposed to inspect the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant until the StarNews in Wilmington reported there was GenX in the Cape Fear River.

Bills Offer Options for PFAS Regulation (Coastal Review Online | May 20, 2020)
Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, and about three dozen cosponsors, have introduced a series of bills intended to demonstrate the range of steps the state could take in regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

PFAS restriction plan developing in EU (c&en | May 16, 2020)
Five countries are drawing up a proposal to restrict production and use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the European Union.

The toxic chemicals in our homes could increase Covid-19 threat (The Guardian | April 29, 2020)
Long-term exposure to air pollution increases the danger associated with four of the biggest Covid-19 mortality risks: diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and asthma. It also can make the immune system overreact, exaggerating the inflammatory response to common pathogens.

Incinerators may spread, not break down PFAS (c&en | April 27, 2020)
New data suggest that commercial incineration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) doesn’t break down these hardy chemicals. Instead, it spreads them into surrounding areas.

Commonly used chemicals associated with miscarriage (Yale School of Medicine | April 23, 2020)
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health have found that maternal exposure to synthetic chemicals widely used in food packaging and commonly found in drinking water supplies is associated with a woman’s risk for miscarriage in the second trimester. Click to read full study paper.

Detailed Maps and Airborne Chemicals: How the PFAS Landscape Differs State-by-State (WXPR | March 26, 2020)
A month ago, in a ballroom at a hotel conference center in a Madison suburb, social distancing wasn’t even in the vocabulary of most people.

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ flow freely through this river — and now its fish (National Geographic | March 24, 2020)
The health effects of PFAS chemicals are still under scientific investigation, but North Carolina residents worry that the abundant substances puts them in danger too.

Pentagon cleanup of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ likely to last decades (The Hill | March 22, 2020)
A recent report from the Pentagon says it may take decades to remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the water supply near military bases following a surge in the number of sites with suspected contamination.

3M Offers Researchers New Resources to Improve PFAS Testing (Bloomberg Law | March 19, 2020)
3M Co. is publicizing its studies on PFAS chemicals in the hopes that researchers, who are using varying methods to test for the chemicals, will rely on the company’s standards and resources.