Latest Science
Prenatal Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposures and Longitudinal Blood Pressure Measurements in Children Aged 3 to 18 Years: Findings From a Racially and Ethnically Diverse US Birth Cohort
12 Jun 2025 | J Am Heart Assoc
Higher maternal blood levels of eight PFAS (Me-PFOSA-AcOH, PFDeA, PFHpS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS and PFUnA) correlated with higher childhood blood-pressure readings, most noticeably during adolescence, in boys and in non-Hispanic Black youth, implying that prenatal exposure to these “forever chemicals” may increase long-term hypertension risk.
Scientists’ statement on the chemical definition of PFASs
10 Jun 2025 | Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.
The authors raise concerns about ongoing efforts to redefine PFAS and potentially exclude certain fluorinated chemical subgroups from the 2021 OECD definition of PFAS chemicals.
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.
[Opinion] PFAS are widespread, not ubiquitous: Clarifying misconceptions about the prevalence of “forever chemicals”
9 Jun 2025 | Environ. Sci. Technol.
U.S. Geological Survey researchers explain that PFAS occur widely but not literally everywhere on Earth, urging scientists and journalists to replace the term “ubiquitous” with the more accurate term “widespread.”
Burden of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in human breast milk: Implications for maternal and infant health
7 Jun 2025 | Environ Int
Analyzing pooled breast-milk samples from five UN regions, researchers estimate that up to 24 % of mothers and 17 % of babies already exceed plasma levels of PFHxS and PFNA linked to endocrine, immune and developmental harm.
Decorative cosmetics and skin care products contribute significantly to short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates exposure
5 Jun 2025 | J Hazard Mater
Tests on 3-D human skin models show that decorative cosmetics and skin-care products permit short-chain PFAS, such as by PFBA, to pass through skin efficiently, pushing daily intakes up to about 0.8 ng per kilogram of body weight and making dermal contact responsible for roughly 40 % of total PFOA exposure among regular users, findings that strengthen the case for tighter limits on PFAS in personal-care items.
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.