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PFAS Exposure Linked to Changes in the Gut Microbiome During Pregnancy
According to a recent study published in Environmental Research, exposure to toxic Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) is associated with impacts to the maternal gut microbiome, which plays an important role in regulating a healthy pregnancy.
Prenatal PFAS exposure was strongly linked to changes in the amount of certain types of bacteria present in the gut microbiome.
In particular, higher PFAS exposure was associated with a significant decrease in some beneficial bacteria that otherwise typically increase during pregnancy and play a positive role in placenta development.
The study also found that PFAS levels in the blood increased over the length of the pregnancy, supporting similar findings from other researchers.
“Studying associations between PFAS and microbiome composition in diverse cohorts is important as exposures to environmental chemicals as well as toxicological effects can vary due to geographical, structural racism, or lifestyle differences.”
PFAS, which are used in many everyday products, are associated with health effects including an increased risk of cancer, liver and kidney damage, and developmental issues in babies and children.
Wastewater Treatment Plants Channel ‘Forever Chemicals’ Into Waterways Nationwide
Harmful “forever chemicals” flow from wastewater treatment plants into surface water across the U.S., according to a new report by a clean-water advocacy group.
Weekslong sampling by the Waterkeeper Alliance both upstream and downstream of 22 wastewater treatment facilities in 19 states saw total per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations increase in 95 percent of tested waterways after receiving discharge from the facilities. Some of the waterways supply drinking water to nearby communities.
The study also found increased PFAS levels downstream of 80 percent of waterway-adjacent fields in eight states treated with “biosolids,” solid matter recovered from the sewage treatment process and spread on farmland as fertilizer.
How One Reporter Revealed Dangerous Levels of Radioactivity in Groundwater
In April 2025, The Toledo Blade published a groundbreaking investigation revealing dangerously high levels of radioactivity in groundwater across Luckey, Ohio — a village shadowed by its Cold War-era legacy.
The newspaper’s independent testing uncovered alarming concentrations of bismuth-214, which decays from the radioactive gas radon-222, in water samples from public locations such as Eastwood Middle School, Luckey Library and local athletic fields. One sample exhibited radiation levels 1,731 times higher than normal background levels. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
This exposé, supported by the Pulitzer Center, not only prompted immediate action from state health and environmental agencies, but also challenged long-standing assurances from federal entities that residential areas remained unaffected by contamination from the nearby former weapons plant. The Blade’s meticulous approach — combining extensive water testing with analysis of declassified government documents — shed light on decades of environmental neglect and its enduring impact on public health.
Study Finds Glass Bottles May Contain More Microplastics Than Plastic Bottles
Microplastics, plastic fragments 5 millimeters or smaller, have been found in just about every part of the human body. To limit exposure, many people have replaced plastic containers with glass. However, a recent study found that certain glass bottles contain higher levels of microplastics than plastic bottles.
The French researchers measured microplastic contamination in water, soda, beer and wine in different containers, including cans, plastic, and glass bottles.
According to the findings, all of the samples contained microplastics, but the beverages sold in glass containers were generally more contaminated.
Microplastics found in the glass-bottled beverage were the same color as the paint on the bottle’s cap. Many of these caps were scratched, which could have helped introduce microplastics into these beverages.
‘It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way’ — Scientists Confirm Iowa Farm Pollution Is Creating Dire Health Risks
Agricultural operations across Iowa are a leading cause of significant water pollution problems in the state, posing dire risks to public and environmental health, according to a new scientific report that is sparking heated debate in the key US farm state.
The 227-page “Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment” was formally released by Polk County, Iowa, officials on July 1 after months of what multiple sources said were intentional actions by public officials to suppress details of the report.
The report caps a two-year-long research review by a team of 16 scientists that focused on pollution patterns in two “essential” rivers fed from a watershed running from southern Minnesota through the central part of Iowa to the state capital of Des Moines.
Those rivers, the Des Moines and the Raccoon, are the primary source of drinking water for roughly 600,000 people and are considered important recreational state assets, but the rivers are commonly laden with harmful contaminants that include phosphorus and nitrogen, bacteria from animal and human waste, pesticides and other chemicals.
This Small Texas Town Is Fighting Back Against Big Ammonia
Chris Carlton built his house in Ingleside, Texas in 2008, back when it was a sleepy fishing town. “We were this little pocket of paradise. This area was known for fishing long before it was known for petroleum.”
Since then, more than a dozen oil and chemical facilities have sprung up along the coastline, drawn to the local area by access to Transatlantic shipping routes, the cheap supply of fossil fuels and lenient local regulators. Now, a new industry is rolling in — one with its sights firmly set on winning over the local community.
In 2023, Norwegian fertiliser giant Yara teamed up with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge, announcing plans to build the first ammonia plant in Ingleside. Yara claimed that the chemical — a key ingredient in fertilisers — would “significantly contribute to our strategy of decarbonizing agriculture” and provide a “clean” fuel for shipping and power production.
The new plant would produce up to 8,000 metric tonnes of ‘low-carbon’ ammonia every day by 2030, making it one of Yara’s largest-ever facilities. The companies say that the chemical “will be exported by marine vessel” by Yara, which already ships ammonia to countries in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.
Air Pollution Is a Greater Threat Than Tobacco, Says Doctor
Former director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi and renowned pulmonologist Randeep Guleria issued a stark warning about the public health crisis posed by air pollution, calling it a greater threat than tobacco, during an address in Hyderabad on Tuesday, celebrated as National Doctors’ Day.
Speaking at the event organised by the Indian Medical Association, Dr. Guleria urged the medical community to adopt the ‘One Health’ approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health.
“Air pollution is a silent killer,” Dr. Guleria said, citing recent studies that attribute 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021 to air pollution, a toll greater than that of COVID-19. He said the rise of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders has overtaken communicable diseases as the dominant health burden in India, particularly in southern States. “Air pollution is now among the top three causes of death and disability globally, and we are not paying enough attention,” he said.
Highlighting how particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, Dr. Guleria explained its link to a range of diseases, including asthma, strokes, dementia, low birth weight, and even osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
The U.S. Sends Lots of Plastic Trash Overseas. Malaysia Just Said No Thanks.
No country receives more discarded plastic from wealthy countries, but shipments from the U.S. are no longer welcome.
In the shadow of President Trump’s tariff fights, a different kind of trade war is playing out involving candy wrappers and plastic bottles. On Tuesday, Malaysia, which received more discarded plastic from rich nations than any other developing country last year, effectively banned all shipments of plastic waste from the U.S.
That might not seem like a big deal. But the U.S. has increasingly relied on countries like Malaysia to deal with plastic trash. American scrap brokers sent more than 35,000 tons of plastic waste to Malaysia last year, according to trade data analyzed by the Basel Action Network, a nonprofit group that tracks plastic waste issues.
Last year, after seizing more than 100 shipping containers of hazardous materials sent from Los Angeles that had been improperly labeled as raw materials, the Malaysian environment minister, Nik Nazmi, told reporters that “we do not want Malaysia to be the world’s rubbish bin.” The country’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
