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.
Unregulated and Regulated PFASs in Bottled and Tap Water: Occurrence, Co-Occurrence Patterns, and Implications for Human Health and Regulatory Frameworks
27 May 2025 | J Xenobiot
Analysis of 45 Romanian drinking water samples highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance of currently regulated as well as emerging PFAS and calls for more stringent regulatory thresholds and improvements in water treatment practices.
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.
Identifying Populations with Elevated PFAS Exposure by Targeted Serum Sample Pooling
20 May 2025 | Expo Health
By pooling leftover and de-identified blood samples from people who live near suspected contamination sites, Australian researchers were able to detect elevated levels of PFAS in two communities, showing that this quick biomonitoring method can serve as an early warning system for further investigation and public-health action.
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.
Identification and environmental occurrence of novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances derived from lithium-ion battery
18 May 2025 | Water Res
Water and sediment near lithium‑ion battery factories and recycling sites in China contain 33 different PFAS chemicals, including seven never documented before, revealing that battery production and recycling can release highly mobile short‑chain PFAS that may endanger ecosystems and human health.
Uncovering the effects of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances distribution in the Tropical Western Pacific
14 May 2025
Scientists warn that the North Pacific’s huge swirling gyre is now amassing large amounts of short‑chain “forever chemicals” such as PFBA—along with residual PFOA—making these substitutes the main pollutants in Tropical Western Pacific surface waters and raising new worries for ocean life and human health.
Exposure to Legacy Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Diet and Drinking Water in California Adults, 2018-2020
14 May 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
This study characterized legacy PFAS in serum from 700 California adults and examined contributions from diet and drinking water concluding that drinking water remains an important source of exposure to PFOA and PFHxS in this population.