EDCs in the News

Three UK military bases are under investigation for potentially leaking toxic PFAS chemicals into drinking water and protected natural areas, raising concerns about public health and environmental damage. Rachel Salvidge reports for The Guardian.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has shut down a public tool that mapped dangerous chemical facilities across the U.S., following lobbying from the chemical industry and a push from the Trump administration. Katya Schwenk reports for The Lever.

European wines made since 2010 show a steep increase in contamination by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a persistent chemical linked to fertility risks and the use of PFAS pesticides. Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will work with major food companies to eliminate synthetic dyes such as Yellow 5 and Red 40 by the end of 2026, following mounting evidence linking them to behavioral issues in children and rising public concern. Nicholas Florko reports for The Atlantic.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is firing hundreds of staffers who worked to protect overpolluted, underserved neighborhoods, effectively gutting its environmental justice efforts. Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

A sweeping plan from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would phase out eight petroleum-based food dyes by 2026, pressuring companies to align with international standards and growing concerns over children’s health. Kim Severson reports for The New York Times.

Residues of DDT, a pesticide banned decades ago, have been found in brook trout in New Brunswick lakes at levels far above safety limits, raising new concerns about long-term contamination of food chains. Sinéad Campbell reports for The Guardian.

State officials discovered toxic “forever chemicals” in wastewater at a Perdue AgriBusiness facility in Salisbury, Maryland in 2023, but nearby residents weren’t informed until nearly a year later. Matti Gellman reports for The Baltimore Banner.

A decades-long practice of using textile mill sludge as free fertilizer has left nearly 10,000 acres of South Carolina farmland contaminated with toxic PFAS, prompting calls for a sweeping federal cleanup. Hiroko Tabuchi reports for The New York Times.

A New Hampshire woman who began organizing after toxic PFAS chemicals were found in her town’s water has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work pushing for cleanup and accountability. Mara Hoplamazian reports for New Hampshire Public Radio.

Nutrition scientist Kevin Hall has resigned from the National Institutes of Health, warning that political interference under the Trump administration could hinder research into ultra-processed foods and their link to chronic disease. Rachel Roubein and Anahad O’Connor report for The Washington Post.

Despite bans and regulations, products in the European Union continue to test positive for harmful chemicals linked to serious health risks. Gabriela Galvin reports for EuroNews.

Sleeping on a new mattress might not seem like a threat, but research shows children are breathing in a stew of chemicals while they dream. Shannon Kelleher reports for The New Lede.

A proposed Trump administration budget would slash funding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by more than 30%, eliminating key agencies and programs and consolidating others under a new health division. Adam Cancryn reports for POLITICO.

A fire at a North Carolina fertilizer plant led to the use of chemically contaminated water on farmland, prompting new scrutiny over the spread of PFAS-laced materials as fertilizer. Lisa Sorg reports for Inside Climate News.

People in the Netherlands have been advised to stop eating eggs from their own chickens after a government agency found high levels of PFAS — or “forever chemicals” — in samples from dozens of sites. Leonie Cater reports for POLITICO.

Syngenta has reached a sweeping agreement to settle thousands of lawsuits linking its paraquat weedkiller to Parkinson’s disease, even as the company denies any wrongdoing. Carey Gillam reports for The New Lede.

Receipts from major U.S. retailers contain high levels of bisphenol S, a chemical linked to cancer and reproductive issues, prompting legal action under California’s Proposition 65. Jordan Perkins reports for The Hill.

One in 31 American 8-year-olds were identified with autism in 2022, according to new CDC data, reflecting a rise that researchers attribute primarily to broader diagnostic criteria and increased awareness, though the U.S. health secretary has called it an epidemic. Azeen Ghorayshi reports for The New York Times.

A Dutch police unit raided the Chemours chemical plant in Dordrecht as prosecutors expanded a criminal investigation into decades of alleged PFAS pollution by the company and its predecessor, DuPont. NL Times reports.