Forever

About 80% of 115 products tested show levels of Pfas that comply with rules – but some firms still exceeding limitsState laws banning Pfas in clothing and textiles have significantly reduced the amount of toxic “forever chemicals” used in the products, which public health advocates say marks a major public health win and underscores the value in protective policy.However, some companies appear to have ignored the laws as their products still contain high levels of Pfas. Continue reading...

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced a new set of stadium policies and pre-match protocols ahead of the 2026 World Cup. • Key regulatory changes include the expansion of VAR powers and new penalties for players who cover their mouths during confrontations with officials. • The updates aim to manage the commercial explosion and global demand surrounding the tournament's expanded format.

The virtually indestructible Pfas waste puts largely low-income neighborhoods at risk, public health advocates sayThe nation’s garbage incinerators are largely failing to eliminate Pfas “forever chemicals” air pollution, and are putting people in largely low-income neighborhoods at risk, public health advocates and independent experts warn.The powerful waste management industry is increasingly pushing incinerators as a solution to virtually indestructible Pfas waste, and a new industry trade group report alleges Minnesota’s incinerators are reducing their forever chemical emissions by 99.6%. Other incinerator operators have made similar reduction claims. Continue reading...

Federal government seeks more than $2bn in damages from multinational manufacturer in its largest legal claim everFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government said on Thursday it had launched legal action against the multinational manufacturer 3M over Pfas chemical contamination at defence bases, seeking damages of more than $2bn (US$1.4bn).The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, said the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals”, in firefighting foam had caused major environmental and economic harm, resulting in the largest legal claim ever brought by the federal government. Continue reading...

Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian companyProtests over the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India, after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory shut down due to an environmental scandal was bought by an Indian company and partly rebuilt.At the end of last year, the Guardian revealed that the former Miteni plant in Vicenza had been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was shut down in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy’s worst environmental contamination scandals. Continue reading...

Addendum quietly slipped into widely criticized agreement creating a $1.7bn fund to compensate president’s alliesThe justice department quietly added a provision barring the IRS from auditing Donald Trump’s tax returns on Tuesday, amending a widely criticized agreement that creates a secretive and loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to compensate allies of the president.The addendum, signed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, says the government is “forever barred” and “precluded” from examining the tax returns of Trump, his family, company and “related companies”. The agreement applies to anything filed before the agreement was reached. It was posted on the justice department website on Tuesday morning, a day after the department announced creation of the fund. Continue reading...

Study of Channel finds levels of toxic Pfas in Solent at 13 times safe limits in some places, with much coming from treated sewageScientists have found high levels of toxic Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, in soil, water and throughout the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent strait, including at protected environmental sites, according to a new study.In some samples, pollution was 13 times the safe threshold for coastal waters. Others, which were below legal limits for individual chemicals, failed tests for combined toxicity. Continue reading...

EPA outlines effort to kill Biden-era rules as critics condemn RFK Jr and Lee Zeldin’s ‘hocus pocus’The Trump administration has announced a plan to kill Biden-era drinking water limits on four Pfas “forever chemicals”, and to delay the implementation of standards for two other compounds.The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing two separate rules to delay and rescind the limits. The rules must go through an approval process that can take several years, and almost certainly will be challenged in court. Continue reading...

Levels of Pfas in northern gannet eggs in Canada fell up to 74% over 55-year period of studyLevels of some of the most dangerous Pfas compounds have dramatically fallen in Canadian seabird eggs, which the authors of a new peer-reviewed study say illustrates how regulations are effective.Researchers looked at Pfas levels in the eggs of northern gannets in the St Lawrence Seaway basin over a 55-year period. Pfas levels shot up from the 1960s through the peak of the chemicals’ use in the late 1990s and early aughts, then fell. Continue reading...

The PM is clearly not prepared to risk backlash from Asian energy trading partners during a fuel crisis – but his government will face domestic challenges if it doesn’t move eventuallyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo separate events on Monday – one in rain-soaked Canberra, the other in sunny Gladstone – neatly explain why the federal government won’t pursue a new gas export tax in next week’s budget and why it might have no choice but to do so in the future.In the nation’s capital, Anthony Albanese hosted his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, for annual leaders’ talks that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the signing of a landmark treaty between the two nations. Continue reading...

• Common PFAS 'forever chemicals' exposure linked to reduced bone density in children, potentially causing lifelong skeletal weakness. • Peer-reviewed study from The Endocrine Society shows early-life contamination disrupts bone development before adulthood. • Prevalent in U.S. water supplies and consumer products, PFAS affect 99% of Americans, raising public health alarms per CDC data.

• A new study finds that exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—chemicals used in non-stick coatings and water-resistant products—is linked to low bone density in teenagers. • The research, announced by the Endocrine Society, involved collaboration between the CDC, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Simon Fraser University, and George Washington University. • The finding adds to growing evidence that PFAS contamination poses significant health risks, particularly during critical periods of skeletal development in adolescence.

US test of 120 umbilical blood cord samples identified 42 Pfas compounds, which do not naturally break downSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxNew peer-reviewed research shows fetuses likely have much higher levels of Pfas “forever chemicals” in their blood than previously thought.Testing of umbilical cord blood typically looks for a small number of common Pfas compounds, like Pfoa and Pfos. However, thousands of Pfas exist, and a new Mount Sinai study tested 120 umbilical blood cord samples that were previously found to contain up to four compounds. Continue reading...