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PFAS Exposure Before Birth Could Put Your Teen at Risk for High Blood Pressure, Study Finds
Prenatal exposure to a class of dangerous, widely used chemicals could be linked to your child having high blood pressure as a teen, according to a new study. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they don’t fully break down in the environment — are a class of about 15,000 human-made chemicals linked to cancers, endocrine-related conditions and developmental problems in children.
New data shows the synthetic compounds could also be linked to a teen’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life, according to the study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers looked at data from 1,094 children over an average of 12 years. The study team compared measurements of eight types of PFAS chemicals in maternal plasma samples 24 to 72 hours after birth and the children’s blood pressure from medical records, according to the study.
The kids who were exposed to higher levels of PFAS chemicals in utero were more likely to have higher blood pressure in childhood and adolescence, the research found. The connection was particularly strong in adolescents, male children and Black children, said senior study author Dr. Mingyu Zhang, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The study is observational, meaning that while it shows associations, it cannot prove that PFAS exposure is the cause of the elevated blood pressure, Zhang said.
The Most Consumed Veggie in the U.S. Is Full of Pesticides
You’ve probably heard of the “Dirty Dozen” list. Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pinpoint the produce with the most pesticides. Last year, strawberries have took the lead. But in the new Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which was released on June 12, strawberries have been knocked out of their number one spot.
And there are two newcomers to the list. So what’s the “dirtiest” fruit or veggie? In this year’s list, spinach swapped places with strawberries for the number one spot. The leafy green was found to have “more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce,” according to the site. And the samples contained more pesticides by weight than any other produce. 75% of non-organic samples contained permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide banned in Europe.
New to the list are blackberries, which were tested by the USDA for the first time in 2023. And, potatoes, the most-consumed vegetable in the country, also made it to the Dirty Dozen. 90% of potato samples tested positive for chlorpropham, a chemical that prevents sprout growth—and a chemical that’s banned in the European Union. “EWG’s Shopper’s Guide is a tool to inform consumers and help them with their produce shopping choices, with the goal of everyone eating more fruits and vegetables,” says Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., EWG Vice President for Science, in the press release.
PFAS pollution risk grows as chemical companies ramp up production for AI chip demand
Environmental Health News reported:
Semiconductor makers’ reliance on PFAS chemicals is spurring a new wave of pollution concerns as companies like Chemours and Daikin expand production to meet the artificial intelligence boom.
In short:
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- Chemours plans to increase PFAS production at its North Carolina and West Virginia plants to meet demand from the semiconductor and AI industries, despite long histories of environmental contamination at both sites.
- Regulators and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are raising alarms over the potential for more pollution, especially as the Trump administration has withdrawn key wastewater rules that could have curbed PFAS discharges.
- Chemours and other companies argue that PFAS are indispensable for semiconductor manufacturing, particularly for AI-driven data centers, but community advocates and scientists say safer alternatives should be explored.
“We think it’s a terrible idea, despite Chemours’ claims that it needs to expand operations for additional demand for semiconductors and other technology applications.” — Kelly Moser, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center
Why this matters:
Known as “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment, PFAS have been tied to cancer, fertility issues, and developmental harm. As AI pushes the demand for advanced chips into overdrive, PFAS usage is poised to increase — especially at U.S. facilities with spotty pollution records. This comes at a time when federal oversight is relaxing, and community exposures are rising. Contamination spreads through air, water, and soil, often far from the source. And with few substitutes available, the tech sector’s dependency on PFAS may deepen environmental injustices already borne by vulnerable communities.
EPA Just Delayed Reporting Safety Data on 16 Toxic Chemicals. Here’s What to Know.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that it will push back the deadline for reporting unpublished health and safety data for 16 toxic chemicals — some of which are linked to cancer or developmental problems in babies — used in everyday products and manufacturing.
The move signals a shift from the Biden administration’s approach to regulating harmful chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a sweeping law aimed at protecting public health. In December, the Biden administration finalized a rule requiring manufacturers and importers of the chemicals to submit the unpublished data to the EPA by March 13. The Trump administration initially pushed the deadline back by several months and has now extended it to May 22, 2026.
The internal company health studies are meant to “help inform EPA’s prioritization, risk evaluation, and risk management of chemicals under TSCA,” the agency said in its Monday announcement. According to the EPA, the extension for reporting the safety information will allow the agency time to craft guidance based on objections raised by industry.
The move was welcomed by industry groups. “This extension is essential to allow EPA to provide guidance to manufacturers and importers to support submission of required data and protect confidential business information,” the American Chemistry Council, a trade group, said in a statement.
EPA Proposes Rolling Back Clean Air Rules for Power Plants: What to Know
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, joined by several Republican lawmakers, announced on Wednesday the agency’s plan to repeal two landmark power plant emission regulations.
During a press conference at EPA headquarters, Zeldin called it “a historic day at the EPA” and said the agency’s actions were designed to “both protect the environment and grow the economy.” “We are proposing to repeal Obama and Biden rules that have been criticized as regulating coal, oil and gas out of existence — from the so-called Clean Power Plan to the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS,” said Zeldin. “Together, if finalized, these actions would result in saving over a billion dollars per year,” he said.
The first rule being targeted by the EPA focuses on carbon emissions, requiring existing coal-fired and new natural gas plants to cut 90% of their carbon pollution using technologies like carbon capture. The second rule strengthened the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), tightening limits on hazardous metals such as mercury from lignite coal-fired power plants.
“We’re not eliminating MATS. We’re proposing to revise it to remove the gratuitous requirements added by the Biden administration in 2024,” said Zeldin. He added that “If finalized, no power plant will be allowed to emit more than they do today or as much as they did one or two years ago.”
