In the News

FDA: GenX, 14 Types of Perfluorinated Compounds Found in Produce Grown Within 10 Miles of Chemours (NC Policy Watch | June 3, 2019)
Leafy greens collected at local farmers markets near Fayetteville contained elevated levels of GenX and other perfluorinated compounds, according to a recent FDA study.

Toxic Chemical Contamination Detected in Charlotte (NC Policy Watch | May 17, 2019)
For decades Charlotte firefighters would periodically suit up and step into one of 12 gravel-lined pits at the city’s training center on Shopton Road.

Citizen Sleuths Exposed Pollution from a Century-Old Michigan Factory, with Nationwide Implications (Science | May 16, 2019)
For more than a century, a sprawling tannery here on the banks of the Rogue River churned out leather used to make some of the country’s most popular shoes.

New Study Claims 43 States Expose Millions to Dangerous Chemical in Drinking Water (CBS News | May 7, 2019)
A new report by the non-profit Environmental Working Group and Northeastern University finds people in nearly every state in the country are exposed to unhealthy drinking water.

Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS (NPR | April 22, 2019)
Scientists are ramping up research on the possible health effects of a large group of common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products.

Scientists Update Lawmakers on PFAS Research, Including Presence of Compounds in Food (NC Policy Watch | April 10, 2019)
In the freezer at Lee Ferguson’s lab at Duke University, there is an Antarctic ice core with layers of the Earth’s atmospheric history trapped inside.

Researchers Find Toxic Chemicals in North Carolina Wildlife (Star News | April 9, 2019)
Researchers at North Carolina State University say they found high levels of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in alligators and striped bass in the Wilmington area.

Should You Be Concerned About PFAS Chemicals? (Consumer Reports | April 8, 2019)
A group of substances known as PFAS chemicals are behind a variety of everyday conveniences that make our lives a little bit easier.

The hunt is on for GenX chemicals in people (C&EN | April 7, 2019)
On a chilly day in November 2017, Beth Markesino sat in the county health department. She pushed up the sleeve of her sweater and extended her arm. A medical technician drew her blood.

NC Legislature Considering PFAS Ban In Firefighting Foam (WHQR | April 4, 2019)
A bill filed this week in the North Carolina legislature could impact the water quality of the Cape Fear River. House Bill 560 would ban PFAS and other perfluorinated compounds from the firefighting foams used near airports and in industrial areas around the state. It has co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle.

PFAS Costs Europe More Than €50 Billion a Year in Health Problems (Quartz | March 19, 2019)
Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFAS (which stands for “perfluoroalkyl substances”), are a little-known class of chemicals that have sparked one of the biggest drinking-water contamination crises in recent decades.

Pentagon Pushes for Weaker Standards on Chemicals Contaminating Drinking Water (New York Times | March 14, 2019)
The Pentagon is pushing the Trump administration to adopt a weaker standard for groundwater pollution caused by chemicals that have commonly been used at military bases.

US Government Investigating Food Supply for PFAS Contamination (Chemical and Engineering News | March 7, 2019)
The US government is broadening its focus on toxic fluorocarbon contamination beyond industrial sites and military bases to include the nation’s food supply.

EPA Says It Plans to Limit Toxic PFAS Chemicals, But Not Soon Enough for Critics (NPR | February 14, 2019)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will begin the process this year of setting limits on two man-made chemicals that are linked to cancer and other illnesses, and are found widely in drinking water and soil.

Worrisome Nonstick Chemicals are Common in U.S. Drinking Water, Federal Study Suggests (Science | February 8, 2019)
In recent weeks, the leadership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., has been dithering on whether to protect drinking water from unregulated industrial chemicals known as PFAS.

Tainted Water: The Scientists Tracing Thousands of Fluorinated Chemicals in Our Environment (Nature | February 6, 2019)
Researchers are struggling to assess the dangers of nondegradable compounds used in clothes, foams and food wrappings.

Not a Problem You Can Run Away From: Communities Confront the Threat of Unregulated Chemicals in Their Drinking Water (Washington Times | January 2, 2019)
The day this small town told its residents to stop drinking the water, life on Glendale Boulevard turned from quiet to alarming.

2018 Archive