PFAS Central: sharing notable news, scientific papers & events
Although useful, PFAS or highly fluorinated chemicals are associated with serious health harm and can remain in the environment forever.
Latest News
Lawmakers, environmental activist introduce PFAS Action Act
13 Apr 2021 | ABC News
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced legislation that aims to protect people and the environment from chemicals known as PFAS.
[Press Release] EPA releases updated PFBS toxicity assessment after rigorous scientific review
8 Apr 2021 | EPA
PFBS has been used as a replacement chemical for PFOS, voluntarily phased out by the primary U.S. manufacturer. PFBS has been identified in environmental media and consumer products, including surface water, wastewater, drinking water, dust, carpeting and carpet cleaners, and floor wax.
[Press Release] Calif. bill would ban ‘forever chemicals’ in products for children
8 Apr 2021 | EWG
The bill will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee next month.
Federal agencies plan to investigate links between PFAS exposure and viral illness
8 Apr 2021 | Circle of Blue
Two federal health agencies, National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, are planning to investigate potential links between exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals and susceptibility to viral illnesses such as Covid-19, pneumonia, and the flu.
Gillibrand unveils PFAS medical monitoring bill in Hoosick Falls
5 Apr 2021 | WAMC
Gillibrand’s PFAS Accountability Act would create a standard for PFAS exposure, make the class of chemicals illegal for use, fund epidemiological research on the compounds, and create a national medical monitoring program.
Latest Science
Toxicological Response of Chironomus dilutus in Single Chemical and Binary Mixture Exposure Experiments with Six Perfluoralkyl Substances
13 Apr 2021 | Environ Toxicol Chem
PFOS was found to be the most toxic PFAS to aquatic life and suggests that PFOS could be more toxic to freshwater insects than previously reported.
Joint effects of prenatal exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances and psychosocial stressors on corticotropin-releasing hormone during pregnancy
13 Apr 2021 | J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
PFAS was associated with higher levels of stress hormones which affected joints in pregnant women.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) as Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Asia's Freshwater Resources
13 Apr 2021 | Environ Res
The highest PFAS contamination was detected in surface water relative to ground, tap, and drinking water.
Occurrence and sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the ice-melting lakes of Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica
13 Apr 2021 | Sci Total Environ
In the ice-melting lakes, PFOA, PFOS, and Cl-PFESA were detected in ice-melt lakes on the eastern side of Antarctica where there are fewer on-site human activities.
In-Vitro and In-Silico Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Binding to Human Serum Albumin
13 Apr 2021 | Toxics
Carboxylic acid and sulfonic acid-containing PFAS were found to bioaccumulate the most readily in human blood.
Latest Policy
EPA Considering Revised Effluent Limitations Guideline Relating to PFAS
8 Apr 2021
Recently, the U.S. EPA took a preliminary step toward requiring limits on some National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharges of PFAS into surface water.
Following Years Of Advocacy, Gillibrand Joins Community In Hoosick Falls To Announce New Legislation To Create Access To Medical Monitoring For Victims Of Significant PFAS Exposure
5 Apr 2021
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation to provide Americans with improved legal pathways that would help courts award medical monitoring for victims of PFAS exposure and bolster PFAS research.
Industry Eyeing EPA’s Hustle to Control ‘Forever Chemicals’
30 Mar 2021
Industry attorneys say they’re bracing for a wave of corporate liability and litigation as the Biden administration works swiftly to fulfill a campaign promise to control “forever chemicals.
PFAS Water Lawsuits Expose Financial Impacts on State’s Poor Communities
22 Mar 2021
Santa Clarita, a comfortable exurb of some 213,000 residents about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is one of hundreds of California communities and districts grappling with the pricey problem of drinking water that’s been tainted by PFAS.
67 experts to Regan: Crack down on 'serious risks' of PFAS
16 Mar 2021
A group of nearly 70 science experts are calling on EPA Administrator Michael Regan to crack down on "forever chemicals.
Opportunities
[Job Opportunity] PFAS Postdoc Position at UC Berkeley
Event: 23 Apr 2021
The Alvarez-Cohen and Sedlak Labs in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar to focus on combined chemical and biological remediation of PFAS.
[Webinar] Eliminating Unnecessary PFAS in Building Materials
Event: 13 May 2021
This one-hour presentation will introduce the Green Science Policy Institute's new report, "Building a Better World: Eliminating Unnecessary Uses of PFAS in Building Materials." Space is limited.
PFAS Central Partners
