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PFAS found in household dust near North Carolina chemical plant
By Shannon Kelleher
Residues of harmful industrial chemicals, including some phased out of production 20 years ago, have been found in household dust in research that shows exposure risks go beyond contaminated food and water, according to a study published Monday.
The study analyzed kitchen dust collected in 2019 from 65 households in an area of North Carolina near a plant owned by DuPont spin-off company Chemours, looking for 48 types of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The researchers identified at least one type of PFAS in every sample, with higher concentrations of the chemicals in homes located closer to the facility.
Twelve of the PFAS chemicals the researchers detected were per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids [PFEAs], a subset of PFAS chemicals had previously been found in the plant’s air emissions or wastewater. All were detected at least once in the dust samples, with seven found in more than three-quarters of all samples. The researchers also found high levels of PFAS chemicals not necessarily linked to the plant in over 90% of samples.
“The detection of PFEAs [per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids, a subset of PFAS chemicals] in residential dust is important considering growing evidence of PFEA toxicity,” the authors wrote in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. “Our findings demonstrate the need for more rigorous exposure monitoring of dust in homes in PFAS impacted communities and more work to identify sources of ultrashort chain PFAS.”
Out of the 65 households, nine reported having at least one participant who had ever worked at the nearby chemical plant, the researchers said.
Federal hearing to take up hotly debated issue of wetlands protections
By Shannon Kelleher
In a court hearing that could have implications for the fate of federal protections for US wetlands, lawyers for an Iowa farmland owner will face off on Monday against the federal government and environmental advocates over the constitutionality of the Farm Bill’s hotly debated “Swampbuster” law.
The hearing in the case pits CTM Holdings LLC against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several organizations that intervened in the case in support of USDA, and addresses a provision of the US Farm Bill dealing with wetlands management.
First introduced by Congress in 1985 after more than half of all US wetlands had been drained or filled, the provision prohibits farmers from using designated wetlands on their property if they want to be eligible for crop insurance subsidies, farm loans and other federal benefits.
The measures aims to prevent farmers from draining, filling in or otherwise altering wetlands, which provide critical habitats for fish and waterfowl, help mitigate flooding and sequester carbon. The provision currently protects about three-quarters of remaining wetlands in the contiguous US – at least 78 million acres.
CTM and supporting organizations are challenging Swampbuster, arguing that the provision violates farmers’ Fifth Amendment rights because it amounts to a taking of private property without just compensation and exceeds the federal government’s authority.
CTM owns a 71-acre parcel of land that includes 9 acres deemed wetlands by the government, but argues that the land in question is dry and not connected to any water source. Regardless, CTM is not allowed to farm the land in question without putting USDA benefits at risk, the plaintiffs argue.
Utah becomes first state to ban water fluoridation
By Douglas Main
Utah has become the first US state to ban the decades-old practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the new law on Thursday, prohibiting fluoridation starting May 7. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the practice, which started in the 1940s as a strategy to help people prevent cavities and reduce tooth decay.
Though more than 70% of the US population receives fluoridated public water supplies and many medical professionals support the practice, opposition has been growing due to studies suggesting fluoride may have neurotoxic effects on fetuses and young children.
Newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been calling for an end to fluoridation in public drinking water for years.
Some professional bodies remain ardent supporters of the practice, however. The American Dental Association issued a statement on Friday accusing Utah lawmakers and the governor of showing “wanton disregard for the oral health and well-being” of state residents.
Chewing gum releases microplastics into saliva, study finds
By Douglas Main
Chewing gum made from either synthetic polymers or tree-based resins sheds significant quantities of tiny plastic particles into saliva, according to a study currently undergoing peer review that was presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Researchers found that chewing gum, on average, releases over 600 particles of microplastics per gram, with the average stick of gum weighing between two and six grams, according to the study, in which researchers chewed 10 different types of leading gum brands and then sampled their saliva at various time points.
“We need to be aware that these gums are releasing plastics into our body,” said Sanjay Mohanty, study co-author, a professor at University of California Los Angeles.
Synthetic gum is made up of plastic polymers, a fact that most people are not aware of, said study lead author Lisa Lowe, a graduate student in Mohanty’s lab. It didn’t come as a shock to the researchers, then, that gum released microplastics.
The scientists were surprised, however, that “natural” gums that use plant resins as a base had similar levels of microplastics, which must be getting there somehow during the manufacturing process, they said.