Latest Science
Particle and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations from different types of fire extinguishers
9 Jun 2025 | J. Hazard. Mater
Lab tests show that common foam fire extinguishers release PFAS in concentrations hundreds of times higher than powder or halon models—while powder units emit the most particles—highlighting the urgent need for safer foams and better protective gear.
Pre-regulatory actions as a driver for reduced PFAS emissions? Long-term trends and change points for human and environmental samples from Germany
3 Jun 2025 | Environ Sci Eur
A long‑term analysis of German blood, wildlife and water samples found that levels of major PFAS chemicals peaked in the late 1990s–2000s and began dropping roughly a decade before formal bans, suggesting that early voluntary industry shifts rather than regulations triggered the first reductions and highlighting the need for swifter legal action to safeguard health and the environment.
Ecosystem-wide PFAS characterization and environmental behavior at a heavily contaminated desert oasis in the southwestern US
2 Jun 2025 | Environmental Research
Researchers discovered that decades of firefighting‑foam runoff have saturated New Mexico’s Holloman Lake and its entire food web with record‑high PFAS, tracing how the pollutants travel from highly saline water through soils and plants into insects, fish, birds and mammals—underscoring an urgent need for remediation.
Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach
2 Jun 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
A Potomac‑River study finds that both city and factory wastewater plants steadily leak PFAS “forever chemicals” into the basin, enough that, during summer low‑flows, about one in six drinking‑water intakes could exceed new federal limits—showing that tackling the problem requires a whole‑watershed strategy, not just individual pipes.
Fin Whale as a Sink of Legacy and Emerging Contaminants: First Integrated Chemical Exposomics and Gene Expression Analysis in Cetaceans
2 Jun 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
Skin and blubber tests on Mediterranean and Gulf‑of‑California fin whales show they soak up a diverse cocktail of legacy pollutants (e.g., PCBs) and newer chemicals such as PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and plastic additives, with region‑specific buildups already shifting gene activity linked to hormones, fat metabolism, and inflammation—evidence that these whales serve as early‑warning sentinels for ocean‑borne pollution threats.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances suppress macrophage alternative activation to disrupt hepatic lipid metabolism
29 May 2025 | Chem. Res. Toxicol.
Experiments in cells and mice show that two common PFAS, PFOA and PFUnDA, damage liver immune cells that maintain fat processing, leading to enlarged livers and body‑wide lipid imbalances, evidence that PFAS pollution could silently impact metabolic health.
[Dissertation] Permitting pollution: The production of science, policy, and the State in Environmental Regulatory Policy on Industrial Pollution in the United States
27 May 2025 | American University
Archival records and ethnographic interviews reveal that tight corporate–regulator relationships in the United States let industrial polluters steer science and policy, forcing communities in places like North Carolina and Louisiana to fight for themselves and showing that lasting environmental protection will require community‑centered, bottom‑up reforms rather than today’s permit system.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in placental compartments: Histopathological and toxicological data integration in an Italian cohort
27 May 2025
Placenta samples from Italian pregnancies almost always contained multiple PFAS chemicals, and higher levels were tied to blood‑flow problems and abnormal growths, suggesting these persistent pollutants may disrupt normal placental function and threaten pregnancy health.
Geospatial and socioeconomic factors of PFAS contamination in private drinking water wells: Insights for monitoring and management
27 May 2025 | J Environ Manage
Citizen‑science testing of 167 private wells across Pennsylvania found that about two‑thirds contained detectable PFAS, nearly one in five exceeded new health‑based limits, and the highest levels appeared in densely developed areas—signaling a need for focused testing and support for vulnerable communities.
Distribution pattern, source apportionment and health risk assessment of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water treatment plants in South Africa
26 May 2025 | Environ Toxicol Chem
Testing of drinking‑water plants in five South African provinces revealed measurable PFAS, sometimes climbing to hundreds of nanograms per litre, with one Northern Cape facility exceeding safety thresholds.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) profiles in primary and secondary landfill leachates: Indications of transformation, liner interactions, and other PFAS sources
24 May 2025 | J Hazard Mater
Tests at three modern, double‑lined Florida landfills showed that the supposedly isolated liquid beneath the main liner still contained thousands to tens of thousands of nanograms‑per‑litre of assorted PFAS, often rivaling or exceeding levels in the primary leachate, revealing that “forever chemicals” can slip through liners, transform, and build up despite today’s best landfill safeguards.
Spatial trends and health risks of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in San Francisco Bay fish from 2009 to 2019
20 May 2025 | ACS ES&T Water
Fish caught in San Francisco Bay—especially in its southern stretch—carry persistently high levels of PFAS such as PFOS and even newly detected chemicals, signaling a clear need for broader monitoring and stronger safeguards for seafood consumers.
National Assessment of PFAS in Landfill Leachate in China: Non-Negligible Ultrashort-Chain Components and Socioeconomic Impacts
20 May 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
A nationwide survey of 70 Chinese landfills found that their wastewater holds sizable amounts of PFAS, mostly newer ultrashort‑chain chemicals, releasing about 419 kg into the environment each year and underscoring the need for stricter waste controls.
A comprehensive analytical approach to monitoring selected emerging contaminant classes in sewage sludge and e-waste from Norway
19 May 2025 | J. Environ. Chem. Ecotoxicol.
Norwegian researchers found that anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge converts PFAS precursors into highly mobile perfluorocarboxylic acids and leaves more persistent long‑chain PFAS, while discarded e‑waste plastics, although less contaminated, still harbor up to 176 ng g⁻¹ of PFAS, indicating that both sludge treatment and electronics recycling inadvertently leak these pollutants.
Skin sampling as a proxy for screening per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposures in endangered sea turtles
19 May 2025 | Mar Pollut Bull
Small skin samples collected from stranded green sea turtles in Texas showed PFAS levels, especially PFOS, that closely matched those in the turtles’ blood, demonstrating that quick, minimally invasive skin biopsies can reliably track exposure to these persistent pollutants in endangered populations.