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Monthly Archives

December 2021

Release of the PFAS Sites and Community Resources Map

By PFAS-REACH team news

A new online map launched this week brings together information about known and suspected PFAS contamination sites across the United States with resources for affected communities and information about state action. This unique and interactive tool, called the PFAS Sites and Community Resources Map, was developed by the PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern University’s Social Science Environmental Health Institute (SSEHRI), Silent Spring Institute, and the PFAS-REACH team. This map is a new and improved version of the Community Resources map previously available on the PFAS Exchange website.

The PFAS Sites and Community Resources Map identifies 1,781 known sites of PFAS contamination based on the PFAS Project Lab’s PFAS Contamination Site Database. Additionally, we have identified 57,806 sites that are suspected of being contaminated, including current and former military sites, airports required to use PFAS-containing firefighting foam, industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and railroad fire incidents. Read more…

100+ Organizations to REI: Lead the Outdoor Industry Away from PFAS

By PFAS in the news

Today a group of more than 100 local, state, and national organizations sent a letter to REI’s CEO Eric Artz calling on the company to lead the outdoor apparel industry in a bold transition away from the entire class of toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals.’ PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often used for water-repellent, stain-resistant, and grease-proofing treatments on textiles like outdoor gear.

The letter states:

‘This holiday season we are asking you to give your customers the gift of a PFAS-free future… When REI members and customers buy presents for their friends and family from REI this holiday season, they expect the products to be safe, not laden with chemicals that are leaving a toxic trail of pollution around the world. Read more…

Prostate Cancer: ‘Forever Chemicals’ and High Fat Diet Increased Tumors in Mice

By PFAS in the news

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in males and the fourth most common type overall, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. A reported 1.3 million new cases of prostate cancer occurred worldwide in 2018.

Previous research found that dietary fat in the typical Western diet can help prostate cancer tumors spread. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago has found that a high fat diet and increased exposure to PFAS can speed up the development of prostate tumors. Read more…

Green Beauty Product Testing Finds More Than 60% Have PFAS Indicators

By PFAS in the news

Green cosmetic makers know their audience. One manufacturer, in addition to the standard lines about how long-lasting and colorful their product is, says that their lip tint is ‘cruelty-free,’ vegan, and made from wholesome ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter.

Missing from the product description is any reference to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or ‘PFAS’ — although one tube of that particular liquid lipstick contained 865 parts per million of the PFAS indicator fluorine, according to a new investigation from the environmental wellness community and blog Mamavation. Read more…

Groups Call on Biden Administration to Commit to Purchasing PFAS-Free Products

By PFAS in the news

During his 2020 campaign, President Biden pledged to make PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) a priority, including a commitment in his administration’s environmental justice plan to tackle PFAS by ‘prioritizing substitutes through procurement.’ The EPA’s recently released PFAS Strategic Roadmap included some important national commitments but lacked an upstream focus on pollution prevention.

Today, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families joined with 35 local, state, and national groups in sending a letter to the White House calling on the president to fulfill his campaign commitment. The groups called for a federal procurement mandate steering the federal government’s billions of dollars in annual purchasing toward PFAS-free products. Read more…