Waterhouse emphasizes EPA’s PFAS, environmental justice priorities in Senate confirmation hearing

Published Sept. 16, 2021 Dive Brief: Carlton Waterhouse, the nominee for U.S. EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) assistant administrator, said the agency is working “as quickly as we can” to designate certain PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances. He named PFAS management among his top priorities during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. […]

Companies that Manufacture or Distribute Pesticides or Foods in Polyethylene Containers Should Track FDA, EPA, and USDA Activities on PFAS

Article By Nancy B. Beck, Ph.D., DABT, Gregory R. Wall, Matthew Z. LeopoldGregory R. Wall Tuesday, August 10, 2021 In January, EPA obtained data that some mosquito control pesticides contained detectable levels of certain PFAS. In a joint investigation with the State of Massachusetts, EPA found that fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers containing a mosquito […]

Perfluorinated Carboxylic Acids in Directly Fluorinated High-Density Polyethylene Material

By Amy A. Rand and Scott A. Mabury Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada ABSTRACT: Perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected in human blood worldwide. One potential route is direct exposure to PFCAs through contact with polymers that have […]

FDA scientists push back on an industry-funded analysis about bioaccumulation and toxicity of short-chain PFAS

By Tom Neltner / Published: April 1, 2020 Tom Neltner, J.D., Chemicals Policy Director and Maricel Maffini, Ph.D., Consultant Note to readers: As we all grapple with the grave global health challenge from COVID19, we want to acknowledge the essential services that professionals at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and in the food production, processing and retail industries provide in […]

The Chemical Industry Hid Evidence of Harm from PFAS: 3 Takeaways

By Tom Neltner / Published: May 13, 2021 Tom Neltner, J.D., Chemicals Policy Director and Maricel Maffini, Ph.D., Consultant Yesterday, The Guardian published a powerful story by reporter Tom Perkins detailing how chemical manufacturers hid evidence of dangerous health impacts from certain types of PFAS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not take sufficient and swift action to protect the public. The story […]

Beyond paper: PFAS linked to common plastic packaging used for food, cosmetics, and much more

By Tom Neltner / Published: July 7, 2021 Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director, Maricel Maffini, consultant, and Tom Bruton with Green Science Policy Institute.  Results from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into PFAS-contaminated pesticides have much broader, concerning implications for food, cosmetics, shampoos, household cleaning products, and other consumer products, as well as recycling. This investigation, first announced earlier this […]

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are contaminating plastic food containers

Tom Perkins Fri 9 Jul 2021 06.00 EDT Many of the world’s plastic containers and bottles are contaminated with toxic PFAS, and new data suggests that it’s probably leaching into food, drinks, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and other items at potentially high levels. It’s difficult to say with precision how many plastic containers are contaminated […]