Latest news with #foreverchemicals
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Scientists Find A Market Ready Replacement For PFAS
A new substitute for forever chemicals is non-toxic material is water- and oil-resistant, ... More sustainable and affordable. It's one of those quiet realities of modern life: we unwrap our sandwich or sip from a paper cup, unaware that the packaging protecting our food might be leaching harmful chemicals. For decades, food packaging has relied on PFAS — a family of so-called 'forever chemicals' — to keep oil and water from soaking through paper products. But as we now know, PFAS don't stay neatly in the packaging. They linger in our environment, our water, and even our bloodstreams, with growing links to serious health risks. On Tuesday, scientists at Northwestern University announced what they hope will be a safe replacement for forever chemicals. They've developed a new material derived from graphene oxide, which they believe may offer the first truly safe, sustainable, and effective alternative to PFAS in food packaging. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals used to repel oil and water. First used in the 1930s and 40s with the invention of teflon, they are now everywhere: in fast food wrappers, takeout boxes, candy wrappers, sandwhich bags and even compostable-looking plates. Quite simply, PFAS are highly effective and to date industry has not been able to find a substitute. These forever chemicals can and do migrate into our food, even when kept at cold temperatures. And they don't break down in the environment or the human body. In fact, they may accumulate in vulnerable tissues like the brain, where scientists have found PFAS have neurotoxic effects. (Brown-Leung 2022) They've been linked to hormone disruption, immune system effects, and even certain cancers. According to a 2022 report from the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, biomonitoring surveys have found that over 98% of Americans have detectable amounts of forever chemicals in their blood and tissues. Meanwhile, parents and pediatricians like myself, find forever chemicals a constant source of worry. How are we supposed to protect our children when they are closer to the floor, being exposed to PFAS loaded stain resistant carpets and house dust? Children are at greater risk to negative effects from forever chemicals because they are smaller, spend more time close to the floor and have differences in food and water intake from adults. Most importantly, they are growing and developing, which means they are being exposed at a vulnerable time and have a lot more years to develop problems. The NASEM report found an association between chronic PFAS exposure in children and multiple health concerns. These included slightly lowered weight at birth, elevated blood cholesterol levels, and reduced antibody response to certain vaccines/infections. In another study, maternal exposure to forever chemicals was associated with child neurodevelopmental difficulties. (England-Mason 2024) PFAS exposures in early life can act as endocrine-disruptors, effecting thyroid, steroid hormones and even testerone and estrogen levels. (Ames 2025) That's where graphene oxide comes in. In a collaboration led by Timothy Wei, adjunct professor of mechanical engineering, and SonBinh Nguyen, professor of chemistry, the Northwestern team created a coating made from oxidized carbon sheets just one atom thick. The result? A material that the study authors consider: Better still, it doesn't just work in the lab. Their startup, GO-Eco, has moved the material through third-party testing at Western Michigan University, and is now preparing for full-scale production with a national tableware manufacturer. It's not just innovation — it's a market-ready solution. One of the problems with adding new chemicals to food packaging is that we don't know what we don't know. While the researchers behind this breakthrough may consider their product non toxic, its worth noting that the people who discovered the forever chemicals thought the same thing. Indeed, graphene oxide is already used in biomedicine and cosmetics, yet it is known to have a potential toxic effect on living cells and organs. Graphene oxide can be toxic, or minimally toxic, or potentially non toxic depending on what chemical form it is in and what dose the body is exposed to. (Rhazouani 2021) It's clear we need more testing, especially in children, of this exciting new material. As a mother and a pediatrician, I really hope this new material is the breakthrough we've been waiting for. And I am struck by the way it reflects a quiet revolution in how we think about safety. Because this isn't just about takeout containers and plastic forks. It's about reimagining how we live — and refusing to accept that the price of convenience should be hidden toxins and long-term risk. GO-Eco's material may never make headlines the way PFAS bans have. But if they succeed, it could mean a world where parents don't need to wonder what's in the sippy cup their toddler is chewing. A world where sustainability doesn't mean sacrificing quality. A world where science earns trust by solving the problems it once helped create. As the graphene oxide project moves forward — seeking FDA approval and expanding production — I'm reminded of what progress really looks like. Not a single heroic cure, but a steady, evidence-based shift toward something safer, smarter, and more human. Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs start with something as small as taking PFAS our of a child's candy wrapper.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Canada revamps standards around ‘forever chemicals' in water
What's in your drinking water? On Prince Edward Island, the provincial testing program shows potable water in some communities have higher levels of toxic 'forever chemicals' than is recommended by Health Canada. To what extent this affects other provinces is unclear – PEI is currently the only province that systematically tests water supplies to make sure they hit federal targets for toxic chemicals. Patrick White is The Globe's water reporter. He explains the safety concerns surrounding 'forever chemicals' in our water, why the health agency revamped its guidelines and looks into why other provinces are slow to adapt. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mills signs bill to shut off fire suppression systems with forever chemicals at Brunswick Landing
May 28—Gov. Janet Mills has signed one of several bills aimed at preventing another discharge of "forever chemical"-containing firefighting foam at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The governor signed LD 407, An Act to Prohibit the Use of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam at the Former Brunswick Naval Air Station, last week. It stipulates that starting Jan. 1, 2026, the use and storage of AFFF — a fire suppression foam containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS — will be prohibited at the former air station. Now known as Brunswick Landing, the area is operated by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which has overseen the development of homes, businesses and the Brunswick Executive Airport on the former base. LD 407 among several "forever chemicals" bills that lawmakers are considering this session following a catastrophic firefighting spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport's hangar 4 in August 2024. The spill released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS, mixed with 50,000 gallons of water. "The Governor was pleased to sign this bill into law to direct the permanent removal of harmful fire suppressant foam from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station," a Mills spokesperson said in an email. "This accountability measure will avoid future environmental harm and give the community peace of mind about conducting business at Brunswick Landing in the years ahead." MRRA Executive Director Dan Stevenson said the authority is on-track to remove all AFFF by the end of the calendar year, as required by the law. "We were aware of [LD 407] and had worked with Rep. (Dan) Ankeles on it," Stevenson said. Brunswick Executive Airport's hangar 5 still contains an active AFFF system. MRRA shut off the system in hangar 6 and removed 975 gallons of AFFF concentrate, which was shipped out by the Army Corps of Engineers for research last month. MRRA has also removed AFFF from hangar 7, which remains on-site as it awaits transportation by PFAS remediation company ECT2. ECT2 has also removed remnants of AFFF from hangar 6, Stevenson said. The now-law assigns the Department of Environmental Protection with enforcing the prohibition on property leased or owned by MRRA. Brunswick lawmakers have backed four additional bills related to the August 2024 PFAS spill. The bills call for a statewide foam inventory (LD 400); a state-run voluntary foam collection, storage and disposal program (LD 222); increased public information on PFAS contamination standards (LD 1786); and the restructuring of the MRRA to add more oversight by members of the Brunswick community (LD 1637). Both LD 400 and LD 222, the state inventory and takeback programs, are awaiting funding in the Senate before they reach the governor's desk. LD 1786 and LD 1637 have both received initial approval in committee and face additional votes in the House and Senate. The AFFF prohibition bill was introduced by Ankeles and backed by other Brunswick-area lawmakers, including Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry and Rep. Poppy Arford. "I'm very grateful to my colleagues for passing LD 407, the governor for signing it, and the people of Brunswick for using the power of their advocacy to ensure its success," Ankeles wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday, calling the legislation "a victory for every resident in the path of the spill." "Brunswick will still have plenty to reckon with, especially those on private wells," Ankeles continued. "We must remain diligent in our efforts to protect them and make them whole, and we must keep pushing those in power not to abandon a cleanup effort that is likely to go on for years. Nobody deserves to be exposed to these poisons, in Brunswick or anywhere else." Copy the Story Link
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
A fibre-rich diet could help reduce PFAS levels in the body
Researchers say a diet rich in fibre could help reduce levels of PFAS, otherwise known as forever chemicals, in the body. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : A diet rich in fibre could help reduce levels of toxic PFAS – otherwise known as 'forever chemicals' – in the body, according to two recent US studies involving mice and a small group of humans. The scourge of NGOs and environmental associations alike, PFAS – or forever chemicals – are virtually unavoidable. Composed of a powerful combination of carbon and fluorine that makes them highly resistant, PFAS exist in their thousands, and are known as forever chemicals because of the very long time they take to degrade (hundreds, even thousands of years). They are found in many everyday products, like paints, varnishes, pesticides, textiles, food packaging, waterproofing, Teflon coatings, toilet paper, etc. And this is not without consequences. Considered to be endocrine disruptors, PFAS are increasingly highlighted in scientific literature as risk factors for human health. In particular, they are thought to be linked to certain cancers (testicular, breast, kidney). Significant and prolonged exposure to PFAS can also promote obesity, raise cholesterol levels and cause complications during pregnancy, particularly an increased risk of miscarriage or high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia). The more PFAS people ingest, the more problematic they can become. Several scientific studies have shown that certain foods, such as fish and seafood, contain high levels of PFAS. This is particularly true of shrimp and lobster, according to an American study published in April 2024, as well as eels, according to research carried out in the Netherlands, published in 2019. But it seems that there are other foods that could help reduce levels of forever chemicals in the body. This is the case of fibre-rich foods, according to a study published in the journal, Environmental Health. Researchers at Boston University collected blood samples from 72 men living in Canada, from a clinical trial testing the efficacy of a dietary fibre-based intervention to reduce cholesterol. The researchers re-analysed these samples, this time to determine whether the blood was contaminated with PFAS. A protective gel in the gut After four weeks of observation, the researchers found that eating fibre-rich foods was associated with a reduction in PFOS and PFOAS – two of the most widespread and dangerous types of forever chemicals – in the participants' blood. One of the explanations put forward by the study's authors to explain this phenomenon is that dietary fibre favours the formation of a protective gel that lines the gut, potentially hindering the absorption of these chemicals. Another study, published last December by the same team of scientists, this time involving mice, came to a similar conclusion. 'This observation suggests that a sustained dietary fibre intervention may reduce long-chain PFAS body burden, but future intervention studies need to control for PFAS exposure sources and extend the dietary supplement intake beyond four weeks,' researchers cautioned. In any case, fibre-rich foods such as fruit (especially dried fruit), vegetables, wholegrain cereals, legumes and nuts have many proven health benefits: they are known to regulate appetite, improve intestinal transit, strengthen the microbiota, reduce blood sugar peaks and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Liberal MNA urges action on PFAS contamination with new bill
Quebec MNA Virginie Dufour has tabled a bill to establish a framework for the detection, regulation and reduction of what is known as 'forever chemicals.'
