Exposure to a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, during pregnancy can influence obesity in granddaughters two generations later, according to findings accepted for presentation at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. Read more…
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. The coronavirus wasn’t yet a threat to Wisconsin. Hundreds of people packed into a convention to talk about, and hear about, a different threat to health–PFAS. Read more…
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. The Defense Department now has 651 sites it suspects could be contaminated with PFAS, a class of chemicals used in a number of everyday products and in fire fighting foam used by the military. That’s a more than 50 percent jump from earlier tallies, an increase revealed in a report this past week from the Pentagon’s PFAS Task Force. Read more…
New studies by the Food and Drug Administration indicate that a common fluorinated chemical in food packaging and stain-resistant carpets and textiles is much more toxic than earlier studies by the chemical industry suggested. The findings indicate that the human health risks of this important short-chain PFAS have been significantly underestimated. And the studies show, once again, that the more we learn about short-chain PFAS, the more concerns emerge. Read more…
Potentially toxic chemicals called PFAS are found practically everywhere — your home included. But just how dangerous are these chemicals, and how might they affect your health? In a study published Tuesday in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers examined the links between 26 PFAS and cancer, all were found to have at least one carcinogenic trait. To understand the links between these chemicals and our health, four experts weigh in on how abundant these chemicals really are and what — if anything — they may do to our bodies. Read more…
Toddlers and young children spend much of their day crawling, playing and climbing. For parents and childcare providers, that means constant mopping and dusting to keep floors and furniture clean and safe. But a new peer-reviewed study suggests high levels of dangerous contaminants known as PFAS are finding their way into childcare centers through the very products intended to keep children healthy. Read more…
San Francisco’s women firefighters are exposed to higher levels of certain toxic PFAS chemicals than women working in downtown San Francisco offices, shows a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, San Francisco, and Silent Spring Institute. The study, which appears Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, is one of the first published results from the Women Firefighter Biomonitoring Collaborative, a long-term investigation into the chemical exposures faced by women firefighters. Read more…
WASHINGTON – Under pressure from Congress, today the Environmental Protection Agency took the next step towards setting legal limits for two fluorinated chemicals, or PFAS, in drinking water. The agency is proposing a “regulatory determination” to set a national drinking water standard for the two most notorious PFAS – PFOA, formerly used to make Teflon, and PFOS, formerly an ingredient in Scotchgard – but the final standards water utilities must meet could still take years to finalize if ever. Read more…
The Silent Spring Institute is reaching out to the parents of preschool-age children in Hyannis and inviting them to participate in PFAS-REACH, a study designed to protect children from drinking water contaminants. The study is designed to evaluate the effects of PFAS exposure on the immune systems of 120 preschool-age children in Hyannis and Pease NH. Read more…
YOU MAY NOT recognize the name PFAS, short for poly and perfluoroalkyl substances, but you likely come into contact with it regularly, maybe multiple times a day. You might even consume it. Put simply: PFAS, a class of more than 4,000 different chemicals, is everywhere. It turns up in everything from household items to fast food wrappers. It’s even been found in our blood. And new research published this week by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG), shows it’s prevalent in tap water as well. Read more…
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