Latest Science
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microRNA: An epigenome-wide association study in firefighters
15 Aug 2025 | Environmental Research
In U.S. firefighters, higher blood levels of certain PFAS chemicals were linked to changes in microRNA expression patterns associated with increased risks for various cancers, neurological disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
PFAS Exposure and Postoperative Weight Regain in Adolescents After Bariatric Surgery: Findings From the Teen-LABS Study
14 Aug 2025 | Obesity (Silver Spring)
Adolescents with higher pre-surgery blood levels of certain PFAS chemicals were more likely to regain weight and waist size in the years after bariatric surgery, potentially reducing the procedure’s long-term health benefits.
PFAS contamination and its rising toll on food security: A hidden global threat
11 Aug 2025 | Food Control
Widespread PFAS contamination from industrial, agricultural, and packaging sources has been found to accumulate in global food systems, compromising food safety, disrupting ecosystems, and posing significant long-term health risks.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances on the surface of children's feeding smocks: High-throughput characterization and implications for exposure assessment
11 Aug 2025
Elevated PFAS levels were detected on Chinese children’s feeding smocks, making routine hand-to-mouth contact during use a potential exposure at levels on par with everyday exposure from indoor dust and air.
Multi-site study of communities with PFAS-contaminated drinking water: Methods, demographics, and PFAS serum concentrations
11 Aug 2025 | Environ. Int.
In eight PFAS-affected U.S. communities, blood tests of 5,826 adults and 710 children from 2019 to 2023 found higher PFHxS and PFOA in adults and higher PFHxS only in children.
Serum Levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Adults Aged 18 and Older in Relation to the Length of Residency in United States
11 Aug 2025 | J Immigr Minor Health
Immigrants to the U.S. tend to have lower levels of PFAS such as PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFDeA upon arrival, but their levels increase over time, often matching those of U.S.-born people within 5 to 15 years, depending on race, ethnicity, and differences in past and ongoing environmental exposures.
Assessing the shifts in atmospheric per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in the Great Lakes and implications for the environmental transport and fate
7 Aug 2025 | ACS ES&T Air
Levels of PFAS, including PFOA, PFOS, and other related chemicals, in the Great Lakes atmosphere have declined in recent years due to regulations and manufacturing changes, however some newer PFAS are increasing, showing the need for ongoing monitoring and control efforts.
PFAS in rural U.S. well water: Using participatory science to identify and communicate results to address risks
7 Aug 2025 | Environ. Sci. Technol.
PFAS were found in rural U.S. private wells, most often PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS, with some exceeding the U.S. EPA’s 2023 drinking water limits even in areas with no known sources.
Forever chemicals and comparative tort law: Grounds for liability
6 Aug 2025 | Journal of European Tort Law
This paper examines how European tort law can help address pollution from PFAS, highlighting that gaps in slow-moving regulations make it necessary to use both public and private legal avenues to hold polluters accountable, compensate victims, and prevent future harm.
Legacy and novel per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in tap water from East China: Impact from water sources and risk mitigation by household purifiers
5 Aug 2025 | Environ. Sci. Technol.
While some home water purifiers removed a portion of PFAS from tap water, none eliminated them completely, and removal efficiency varied widely depending on the device type and specific PFAS compound.
Thermal decomposition of organic components in spent lithium-ion batteries: Stagewise evaluation and kinetic analysis
5 Aug 2025 | Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.
In spent lithium-ion battery recycling, adding oxygen during heat treatment breaks down PVDF more completely around 550 °C with much less energy, leaving far fewer PFAS-like fluorinated residues than inert-gas pyrolysis.
Unveiling novel and legacy PFAS in human hair
5 Aug 2025 | Environ Int
All hair samples from German volunteers were found to contain PFAS, including NTf2, with younger people generally having higher total levels.
Seamounts create local hotspots of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the oligotrophic open ocean
4 Aug 2025 | Progress in Oceanography
Scientists discovered that waters above Pacific seamounts hold per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at concentrations about 40 % higher than nearby open ocean, with the mid-depth mesopelagic layer especially rich in newer short-chain PFAS, showing these undersea mountains act as unexpected hotspots.
High-resolution mass spectrometry for extended PFAS surveillance in food: Combining suspect and non-targeted approaches
29 Jul 2025 | Food Chemistry: X
Using high-resolution mass-spectrometry, scientists examined 58 foods from Europe and North Africa and detected 17 known PFAS plus four previously overlooked fluorinated compounds, including the short-chain PFPrA found in almost half the samples.
Pygoscelis penguins as indicators of perfluoroalkyl substances pollution and global health risks - case study from King George Island (Western Antarctic)
29 Jul 2025 | Environ Res
Scientists found that guano from penguins nesting near research stations on King George Island contained detectable PFAS chemicals (PFOS and PFPeS) while colonies farther away did not, revealing that even remote Antarctic wildlife is affected by localized human pollution.