PFAS Project Lab

Illinois Communities Grapple With ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Their Drinking Water - Inside Climate News Hundreds of thousands of residents are served by the affected systems. City officials must monitor and mitigate the PFAS in the years ahead.

The warnings came in the mail this spring to 47 community water systems serving more than 400,000 Illinois residents: Elevated levels of harmful PFAS, better known as “forever chemicals,” had been found in their drinking water.

Toxic rivers, polluted lakes, public health threats, and businesses at risk - and yet the EU still delays water pollution rules 💧

We need action on PFAS, pharma & pesticides NOW

Coalitions across Europe are calling for bold leadership 🇩🇰
@eu2025dk.bsky.social l

www.wwf.eu?18631866/Swi...

Really important work here from @nrdc.org that calls into question why EPA would eliminate new standards designed to reduce PFAS in drinking water.

www.nrdc.org/press-releas...

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - Nature Microbiology Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as forever chemicals, in intracellular aggregates. Colonization of gnotobiotic mice with bioaccumulating bac...

Finally some good news about PFAS health risks (the chemicals that create the non-stick on your pans and the waterproofing in your make-up). Friendly gut bacteria might be the answer to lowering PFAS in your blood. share.google/YJCMwuWuhBLj...

How PFAS From A Military Base Has Sickened Nearby Residents Newburgh, New York, is one of 10 communities involved in a CDC-led study to understand the effects of PFAS—forever chemicals—on health.

Toxic PFAS from firefighting foam contaminated Newburgh, NY's water supply for decades. Now, early data from a CDC-led study is illuminating the forever chemicals’ effects on its residents.

Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals’ from the body, research shows Previously, the only way to reduce levels of Pfas was by bloodletting or a drug with unpleasant side effects * Sign up for the Detox Your Kitchen newsletter Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows. The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous Pfas compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects. Continue reading...

Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals’ from the body, research shows

Gut microbes may flush 'forever chemicals' from the body Experiments in mice show that some gut bacteria can absorb toxic PFAS chemicals, allowing animals to expel them through feces.

Our own gut microbes might be able to help us Poop out our PFAS.

I love this for us. www.sciencenews.org/article/gut-...

PFAS exposure linked to an increased risk of repeated miscarriage In a new study published by Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, researchers found that exposure to some PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were linked to an increased risk of unexplained r...

PFAS exposure linked to an increased risk of repeated miscarriage - EHN www.ehn.org/pfas-recurre...

Toxic Pfas above proposed safety limits in almost all English waters tested Exclusive: 110 of 117 bodies of water tested by Environment Agency would fail standards, with levels in fish 322 times the planned limit

- PFAS forever chemicals above proposed safety limits in nearly all English rivers, lakes & ponds, study finds
- levels of internationally banned PFOS in fish were 322 times above proposed safety limits on average

Our new article out now:

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

🚨Today we launch our proposal for how the UK can take urgent action on PFAS.

The message is clear👉 Align with the EU’s universal PFAS restriction to protect health, our environment & economy.

A PFAS-Free UK is within reach.

Read the full proposal 👉 www.fidra.org.uk/download/reg...

Environmental impacts of polymeric flame retardant breakdown - Nature Sustainability As a ‘safe’ alternative to harmful monomeric halogenated flame retardants, the use of polymeric flame retardants has surged in recent years. The authors show that polymeric flame retardants break down...

'To escape regulation, flame retardant and #PFAS producers are increasingly pivoting to #polymers for use in everyday products' - @greensciencepolicy.bsky.social.

But a new study in @nature.com shows that polymers may not be safe #NonToxic alternatives after all.

doi.org/10.1038/s418...

She fought to ban PFAS while dying of cancer. Now Minnesota has the nation's strictest law. "Amara's Law" will reduce, then eliminate, the manufacture and sale of nonessential PFAS products by 2032.

A new law taking effect in Minnesota will reduce, then eliminate, the manufacture and sale of most products containing PFAS chemicals www.cbsnews.com/news/pfas-mi...

Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year Exclusive: Experts call for stricter regulation as current rules set in 1989 require testing for only a few heavy metals

Sludge: solid remnants of sewage, contains Pfas forever chemicals, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, toxic waste from homes & industry.

Rebranded as biosolids by water companies & given or sold to farmers as a nutrient-rich fertiliser. Our article out now:

share.google/zip62hSUVO6b...

DuPont agrees to settle lawsuit over Hoosick Falls water pollution DuPont Co. has agreed to settle a federal class-action lawsuit that was filed nearly a decade ago on behalf of residents in and around the village of Hoosick Falls.

Big news: After nearly a decade, DuPont has agreed to settle a class-action suit brought by the people of Hoosick Falls, NY, the community I spent years following for my book. All told, the village's roughly 3,000 residents will receive about $90 million in damages. #PFAS #ForeverChemicals

‘We thought we’d got the numbers wrong’: how a pristine lake came to have the highest levels of ‘forever chemicals’ on record Holloman Lake was a haven for wildlife and seemed an ideal campsite. But strange foam around the shoreline turned out to be more than just an oddity – and reveals the alarming way forever chemicals mo...

PFAS just broke another global record. So did CO₂. So did wildfires. Collapse isn’t coming—it’s already begun.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

🚨 11 Italian former chemical plant executives have been sentenced to jail for polluting water and soil with #PFAS.

💶 200+ citizens will receive €50,000 each as compensation.

Read more here 👉 buff.ly/xekuEJs

#HumanHealth #StopPFAS

Tiny gut “sponge” bacteria found to flush out toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” Cambridge scientists have spotted gut bacteria that greedily soak up PFAS “forever chemicals,” then ferry them safely out of the body in animal tests, removing up to three-quarters of the toxins withi...

Researchers discovered a gut bacterium that acts like a sponge for PFAS chemicals. In mice, it captured up to 74% of PFAS within minutes, passing it safely in feces
#biology
#PFAS
#probiotic
#foreverchemicals
🧪🦠🧫

Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Trump’s First EPA Promised to Crack Down on Forever Chemicals. His Second EPA Is Pulling Back. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims to prioritize combatting long-lasting chemicals called PFAS. Despite this, the agency has delayed enforcement of standards and terminated over $15 million in fundin...

The Trump Administration is making America sick again. Cutting funding for critical research on toxic #PFAS and delaying implementation of rules to protect our drinking water from these toxic chemicals directly harms American farmers and families.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Kris Hansen's PFAS Journal Applying my experiences as a 3M scientist to illustrate industries' efforts to manufacture doubt about global PFAS contamination.

Dr. Kris Hansen, analytical chemist whose 1990s work at 3M was profiled in Propublica/New Yorker, has started "Kris Hansen's PFAS Journal," a Substack newsletter about PFAS contamination and industry's manufacture of doubt. Check it out!

kris434.substack.com/p/kris-hanse...

Small City Pays A Price For PFAS In Drinking Water A military base polluted water in Newburgh, New York, with PFAS for years. Now a CDC-led study is uncovering the health impacts.

My latest story on PFAS in Newburgh. A new CDC-led study finds high cholesterol and hypertension (++ risks for heart disease) in residents exposed to PFAS-tainted water.

The source? Stewart Air Base. A decade later, the military has yet to clean up the mess.
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/pfa...

With the roll back of clean drinking water rules around PFAS, it’s time to start banging pots and pans about the impact in Michigan.

I teamed up with Great Lakes PFAS Action for a town hall in Oscoda to hear directly from folks living with the impact of PFAS contamination.

PFAS in drinking water linked to increased cancer risk, groundbreaking study finds PFAS in drinking water is tied to a higher risk of multiple cancers, including some not previously linked to these toxic compounds, a recent study shows.

Science: PFAS in drinking #water is tied to cancer.
Trump policy: Cancel #PFAS drinking water regulations and cut research funding.

usrtk.org/healthwire/p...

Congress urged to address PFAS crisis threatening Great Lakes, public health By Brian Bienkowski A Wednesday congressional briefing, led by the nonprofit Northeast-Midwest Institute, was aimed at giving lawmakers and their staff a deeper understanding of the impacts of — and...

Once #PFAS get into the environment they bioaccumulate, meaning they build up in wildlife at a faster rate than they are excreted from the body. “This also applies to humans,” said Indiana University Prof. Marta Venier.

@pfasproject.bsky.social
www.thenewlede.org/2025/05/grea...

In the coming days, I'll be discussing my book with journalists and advocates at more events across the country, conversations that are especially timely & urgent in light of the breaking news about the @EPA rolling back/delaying limits on #PFAS in drinking water. 1/
@crownpublishing.bsky.social

Trump officials quietly move to reverse bans on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ EPA bids to change chemical risk evaluations, which could expose public to higher levels of PFAS and other pollutants

Trump's EPA just moved to reverse state and local bans on toxic "forever chemicals" that can lead to birth defects and cancer. 

So much for "Make America Healthy Again." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/05/trump-pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals

EU to ban dozens of toxic substances in children's toys - Euractiv All toys sold in the EU will be slapped with a QR code 'passport', and a whole slew of toxic chemicals will be banned under the rules.

Children’s squeaky plastic toys, trucks, blocks and dolls contain chemicals which are harmful to health, such as PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals'.

This deal is a win for EU lawmakers, who have been pushing to ban PFAS in all toys sold in the bloc in the future, despite industry backlash.

PFAS: MPs to assess environmental and health risks of ‘forever chemicals’ - edie A cross-party group of MPs is, for the first time, conducting an inquiry into whether regulation is appropriate to address the environmental and public health risks of so-called ‘forever chemicals’.

Urgently needed #GoodNews on a PFAS inquiry on this #PoisonedPlanet

#PublicHealth #OneHealth
www.edie.net/pfas-mps-to-...

Some states are banning forever chemicals. Now industry is fighting back. The chemical and consumer products sectors are sending lawyers and lobbyists to DC to protect their investments.

There are some new lobbyists in town and they are successfully altering legislation regulating PFAS.

from @wired.com via @climatedesk.org

How Trump slowed the fight against ‘forever chemicals’ The first Trump administration took steps to slow down regulations or alter the agency’s research on chemicals that pose a pressing public health threat, former officials say.

Reporting our book, we heard numerous ways in which the first Trump admin slowed action on PFAS

Per former officials, the Trump EPA:

- Interfered in risk assessments
- delayed declaring them "hazardous substances"
- approving new PFAS

#GreenSky #BookSky

www.semafor.com/article/04/0...

States Are Banning Forever Chemicals. Industry Is Fighting Back As states legislate against products containing PFAS, the chemical and consumer products industries are deploying lawyers and lobbyists to protect their investments.

As states legislate against products containing PFAS, the chemical and consumer products industries are deploying lawyers and lobbyists to protect their investments.