An Ohio state court must decide whether Admiral Insurance Co. has to provide coverage to a company whose clothing products allegedly caused cancer in firefighters and their spouses, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Medina, Ohio-based Fire-Dex LLC, which is facing an array of lawsuits over the firefighter clothing it manufactures, asked Admiral to defend […]
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) published a blog item on September 18, 2023, entitled “Now’s the Time — How EPA Can Use TSCA to Turn Off the PFAS Tap.” According to EDF, for both previously approved per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and for new PFAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should: Use the Best […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not the only federal agency that regulates per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). And states aren’t the only ones scrutinizing PFAS in food packaging products. PFAS, which are wholly synthetic compounds of carbon, fluorine and other elements, are manufactured in chains of various lengths. Long-chain PFAS which are generally […]
Recently published research by Verdantix created a spotlight on the need for product compliance solutions, specifically referencing Assent. The report advised that “Excel and paper-based solutions are inadequate for organizations that need to track PFAS compliance and communicate performance to internal and external stakeholders as their operational complexity scales.” – Verdantix, Strategic Focus: Innovative Solutions […]
Experts say that the majority of the 86,000 consumer chemicals registered with the Environmental Protection Agency have never received vigorous toxicity testing. This article is copublished with the Examination, a new non-profit newsroom specializing in global health reporting. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), found in the body of most Americans, is just one of dozens of chemicals […]
A new study suggests per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as forever chemicals or PFAS, reduce the activity of human immune cells. Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, showed PFAS can impair health by reducing this activity. The study, recently published in Chemosphere, also featured a method that “could be used to reveal the immunomodulatory […]
Maine recently delayed the January 2024 implementation of a first-of-its-kind law requiring manufacturers to disclose PFAS in products sold in the state, effectively banning PFAS in most such products by 2030. Manufacturers of products containing PFAS now have until January 2025 to report them. Meanwhile, Maine also created two reporting exemptions — one for businesses […]
Fluoropolymers’ myriad uses mean a ban could have widespread implications. A full-scale furor is erupting in Europe, pitting industry against government. The European Commission (EC) is proposing that all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) be banned because it says they are persistent, can be toxic, and can bioaccumulate in organisms—including people. The ban would include […]
Consumer groups are condemning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for allowing plastic containers made with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” to continue being distributed across the economy – even though the agency is suing a top manufacturer over the dangerous compounds leaching into containers’ contents, such as food or personal care products. The groups are now […]
New PFAS threshold values applicable to soil testing will start on August 1, 2023. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) constitute a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are widely used in various consumer and industrial products. Because of their suspected mobility and persistency, PFAS chemicals are said to accumulate in the food chains and […]