Examining the health effects of PFAS water contamination
A new nationwide federal study launched in fall 2019 is examining the health effects of drinking water contaminated with chemicals called perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which have been linked with health issues including some types of cancer, immune system…
Permanent hair dyes, chemical straighteners may increase women's risk of developing breast cancer
Women who use permanent hair dye or chemical hair straightening products have a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. After analyzing hair care habits…
Understanding the risks of ‘forever chemicals’
News about a family of toxic synthetic chemicals called PFASs—“per- and polyfluoralkyl substances”—has recently been making headlines in New England. In Connecticut, PFASs were found to be leaching out of landfills in Hartford and Ellington. In Massachusetts, a…
A primer on ‘forever chemicals’
There’s been more and more news lately about the presence of “forever chemicals” in the environment. These widely used chemicals—whose technical name is “per- and polyfluoralkyl substances,” or PFASs—remain in the environment for thousands or even millions of…
PFASs found in some Massachusetts schools
Significant amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—toxic chemicals known as PFASs—have been found in the drinking water of some schools in Massachusetts. High levels of the chemicals turned up in schools in Stow and several other communities after…
Overfishing, climate change linked with rising mercury levels in fish
Even as mercury levels in the oceans have fallen, levels in some fish—such as tuna, salmon, and swordfish—have increased due to overfishing and climate change, according to a new study. Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School…
Op-ed: Questioning the use of a toxic pesticide
The pesticide chlorpyrifos, a chemical cousin of nerve agents used in World War II, has been shown to impede brain development in children. But the Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump recently decided to reject an Obama-era plan…
Climate-driven disasters may stir up toxins
Disasters such as floods and fires, intensified by climate change in recent years, may be making people in the U.S. sick. These sorts of disasters can dislodge chemicals from the ground, from homes, and from industrial waste sites,…
Curbing the use of ‘forever’ chemicals
July 18, 2019 – Philippe Grandjean is an adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard Chan School who studies per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)—man-made chemicals used in products ranging from carpets to nonstick cookware to firefighting foams—and is co-director…
Dollar stores move to eliminate hazardous chemicals from products
Plastic products that contain hazardous chemicals linked with serious health problems are starting to be phased out at dollar stores. According to a May 24, 2019 article in National Geographic, one of the largest dollar store chains in…