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Large NYC Study Adds Evidence Linking Glyphosate to Preterm Birth Risk
Pregnant women who are exposed to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, may face an increased risk of preterm births, according to one of the largest studies to date examining the link. The study, led by NYU Langone Health and published in Environmental Pollution, showed that pregnant women with higher exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, faced a significantly higher risk of going into spontaneous labor early.
While previous research has linked glyphosate exposure to shorter pregnancies, the NYU study is one of the largest to examine exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth in humans. “This study reinforces that glyphosate exposure during pregnancy is widespread and may be linked to preterm birth risk.
Even modest associations matter because pregnancy is a sensitive window, and small risks can translate into large population impacts,” said Jessie Buckley, professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in an email.
Foam Mattresses Can Expose Infants to a Wide Variety of Toxic Chemicals
Environmental Health News reported:
According to a 2025 study published in Environmental Science & Technology, children’s mattresses release harmful chemicals that can contaminate infants’ sleeping environments — where they typically spend a large portion of their time. 21 toxic chemicals were released by the mattresses tested, including multiple phthalates, flame retardants, plasticizers and other chemicals associated with endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive harm. In short:
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- These chemicals were not necessary to meet relevant flammability regulations, and in some cases exceeded regulatory limits for countries where the mattresses were sold.
- Weight, body temperature, and movement increased the release of toxic chemicals, implying exposures are higher when the mattresses are in use.
“These regulatory gaps and lack of manufacturers’ oversight cannot be filled by consumer choice since labeling is not mandatory, and further, many consumers, especially those with lower incomes, do not have the ability to choose.”
Space Datacenters Proposed by Musk and Bezos ‘catastrophic’ for Planet, Experts Warn
Space datacenters proposed by SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and others would release staggering levels of pollution that would probably alter the Earth’s atmosphere and be “catastrophic” for the planet, space industry experts and environmental groups warn in a new petition demanding a review of their impacts. Tech companies have collectively proposed millions of “orbital datacenters” and are pressing forward with plans, which require Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.
Among other issues, pollution from satellites and rockets burning up upon re-entry appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. The spacecraft release black soot, rare metals, aluminum oxides and other pollutants with unknown effects.
Some scientists fear the pollution could destroy the ozone layer, potentially expose some people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation, or help further destabilize the planet during the climate crisis. The pollution could also end up back on Earth, and millions of satellites would create a major source of light pollution. The petition submitted to the FCC calls for a pause on new licenses for space data center projects, arguing that the plans “violate federal law”.
Stuffed Toys Can Release Short-Chain PFAS Into Saliva, Study Finds
PFAS are a diverse group of synthetic fluorinated compounds that have been widely used since the 1950s for their hydrophobic and lipophobic properties. Their chemical, thermal, and biological persistence is attributed to the strong carbon–fluorine bond, leading to their classification as “forever chemicals.” The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and United Nations Environment Program (OECD/UNEP) list over 4,700 PFAS, with broader definitions encompassing tens of thousands, complicating environmental fate and toxicological assessment.
Extensive use has led to global distribution across environmental matrices and remote regions. Human exposure is ubiquitous via water, food, air, dust, and consumer goods. Many legacy PFAS bind serum proteins and undergo renal reabsorption, leading to multi-year half-lives.
Immune suppression is the most sensitive adverse outcome associated with PFAS exposure, with additional associations including dyslipidemia, altered liver enzymes, reduced birthweight, and increased risks of renal and testicular cancers at higher exposure levels. While textiles and children’s products are recognized PFAS sources, data on migration and bioaccessibility from infant-specific items, for example, toys and comforters, are sparse.
The AI Boom Runs on Toxic Air
Drive through the heart of the Permian Basin in West Texas, and the scale of the area’s oil and gas industry is undeniable. Tens of thousands of active wells, drill rigs, pipeline corridors, and flare stacks cover this 86,000-square-mile stretch of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. At night, flare after flare burns orange against the dark sky.
The Permian is the most productive oil field in the United States, responsible for roughly 40 percent of total U.S. oil and gas production. It is also, per some of the most recent global accounting, the single largest source of greenhouse gas-emitting pollution on the planet. In 2022, Climate TRACE, a nonprofit that tracks greenhouse gas emissions via satellite, estimated the basin released over 200 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, more than any other individual facility, field, or infrastructure site on Earth.
It is here that the world’s largest technology companies are racing to build massive artificial intelligence data center campuses, powered by yet more natural gas. Texas has more than 80 gigawatts of new power plants planned, roughly half of them for data centers, which will lock in decades of greenhouse gas emissions and a reliance on natural gas.
Microplastics and Cancer Risk: One Mother’s Steps to Protect Her Family
Lauren Quinn started making small changes in her home when her son Orion was a baby — swapping plastic baby bottles for glass ones, switching to glass cutting boards and stainless steel cups — all in an effort to reduce the family’s exposure to microplastics.
Orion is now 4 years old. Quinn said online communities helped guide her through the process. “Simple as switching out stuff like his silverware he’s eating off of from plastic to just stainless steel and his drinking cups to either highly durable glass or stainless steel or ceramic cups,” Quinn said.
Microplastics are tiny particles found in nearly everything people use, eat and drink. Researchers are now examining a possible link between microplastics and cancer. “You get an illness later in life or some unfortunate diagnosis — could that have played a role in it? Could it not have? You just don’t know,” Quinn said.
The Herbicide Haunting a New York Farm Town
This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Gordon Chaplin gingerly stepped out of the car at the top of the steep hill behind his farmhouse, sporting a bandage on his hand from a fall the day before. He gripped his cane as he shuffled through the knee-high grass. He stopped every few feet to catch his breath, leaning on his caregiver for support.
Looking out at the distant Adirondacks and Catskill Mountains, he thought back to the years when he could run up the hill with ease. “Things just don’t work as well as they used to. In fact, sometimes they don’t work at all,” said Chaplin, 81, who has owned the farm for over 40 years. “There’s nothing worse than having your whole life … falling apart.” Nearly a decade ago, he began experiencing symptoms he couldn’t explain.
His once-pristine handwriting became unreadable, his face took on a permanent look of worry, and he acted out his dreams while he slept. After years of inconclusive test results from various doctors, he received a diagnosis: He had Parkinson’s disease, an incurable degenerative brain disease that affects motor functions and causes cognitive impairment. He had no family history or genetic predisposition to the disease.
Want to Know if Your Nonstick Pan Contains PFAS? A New Searchable Database Has the Answer
A new searchable database highlights the smooth rollout of Maine’s ban on forever chemicals — at least when it comes to cookware. “I think that the implementation on this particular product category has been pretty excellent,” said Emily Carey Perez de Alejo, executive director of Defend Our Health, which advocates to reduce consumers’ exposure to toxic chemicals.
After reviewing more than 200 cookware brands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, the Maine-based nonprofit found that most companies were quick to remove products from Maine after the state’s sales ban on many consumer products with intentionally added PFAS took effect in January.
“Companies had really broadly pulled PFAS-containing products from physical stores in Maine, but we did find online sales compliance issues, and most of the companies that we contacted in that February-March period, they fixed those issues within a couple of days,” Carey Perez de Alejo said. Carey Perez de Alejo said the organization wanted to see how well the law was being implemented, and focused on cookware because they knew it is often coated in PFAS, like Teflon, to prevent food from sticking to the metal.
