Forever Chemicals / PFAS

A new peer-reviewed study from Brown University and Harvard University, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that a large share of veterans have higher concentrations of PFAS — “forever chemicals” — in their blood than non-veterans, with the gap most pronounced among those under 40. Analyzing federal health survey data from 2003 to 2018, researchers…

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the EPA’s 2024 designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, rejecting a challenge from the waste industry, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and manufacturing trade groups. The decision moves these “forever chemicals” into CERCLA Section 106, allowing the EPA to compel responsible parties to…

New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of previously hidden air quality records from the months after the September 11 attacks, showing that asbestos and other contaminants lingered in Lower Manhattan — sometimes above acceptable limits — even as city and federal officials repeatedly assured residents the air was safe to breathe. The…

A sharp-eyed Airman at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming spotted polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) residue on an AN/PRM-10 test oscillator set during a routine inspection in August 2026, triggering a swift service-wide withdrawal of the equipment. Within days, the 20th Air Force ordered all eight kits inspected; six showed potential PCB contamination, and every…

A coalition of environmental organizations — the Center for Food Safety, Center for Biological Diversity, and Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America — has sued the Trump administration over the EPA’s re-approval of trifludimoxazin, a potent PFAS herbicide linked to cancer, birth defects, and severe ecological harm. The chemical, which breaks down into long-lasting…

A California federal court has allowed most claims to move forward in a class action alleging that Apple failed to disclose dangerous levels of PFHxA, a “forever chemical,” in its Apple Watch Sport Bands. The court found plaintiffs plausibly demonstrated standing and sufficiently alleged that Apple knew about and failed to disclose potential health risks,…

A new study led by University of Arizona researchers has found that exposure to certain PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” alters gene activity in ways associated with cancers, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, and other serious health problems. The research, conducted on blood samples from about 300 firefighters with high PFAS exposure, is among the first to…

Military.com by Thomas Novelly Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico is investigating the environmental toll after 7,000 gallons of chemically contaminated water spilled on the facility over the summer, according to a public announcement by the base. The tainted water contained PFAS — per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they do not…

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) by Britt E. Erickson When scientists discovered three per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at worrisome levels in the drinking water provided to about 450 people in rural Maysville, North Carolina, town officials sprang into action. It was 2019, and at the time, there were no guidelines or federal limits for PFAS in…