Lobbying in ‘forever chemicals’ industry is rife across Europe – the inside story of our investigation: Forever chemical or PFAS contamination is widespread, but so too are lobbying efforts. Melnikov Dmitriy/Shutterstock A team of academic researchers, lawyers and journalists from 16 European countries has exposed a huge lobbying campaign aimed at gutting a proposed EU-wide …
Pesticides: farming chemicals make insects sick at non-deadly doses – especially in hot weather: Farm workers are also at risk of serious harm from pesticide exposure. Bell Ka Pang/Shutterstock The various regulatory systems for approving pesticides in operation around the world are crude and flawed. This has long been clear to scientists and it is …
Your wig could be poisoning you: study finds pesticides and other toxic chemicals in synthetic hair in Nigeria: Well-groomed hair is a symbol of beauty for many black African women. Natural hair requires special care and attention, though, which can be time consuming. Wigs (human or synthetic hair), weave-ons and other artificial hair extensions offer …
PFAS forever chemicals found in English drinking water – why are they everywhere and what are the risks?: husjur02/Shutterstock PFAS chemicals (per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances), also known as forever chemicals, are rarely out of the news at the moment. The latest concern about this chemical group is their presence in drinking water in England. The …
Flame retardant chemicals can cause serious health risks – and they only slow fire by a few seconds: Many flame retardant additives have been banned. Aleksandar Malivuk/Shutterstock House fires are many people’s worst nightmare. But chemicals created decades ago to protect people’s homes from out of control flames opened our front doors to a new …
PFAS: how research is uncovering damaging effects of ‘forever chemicals’: Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock Since their inception in the 1940s, the so-called forever chemicals have woven themselves into the fabric of our modern world. But recently, they’ve been appearing in alarming news headlines about their damaging effects on our health. PFAS have, in fact, come under intense …
Mauritius sea sponge produces chemicals that can kill liver cancer cells – findings are a positive first step: For thousands of years, medicines have been developed from natural sources – mostly from plants. In recent decades, though, drug hunters have been looking at the immense diversity of marine organisms as potential sources of new medicines. …
‘Eco-friendly’ straws contain potentially toxic chemicals – posing a threat to people and wildlife: PFAS concentrations were discovered in almost all of the paper and bamboo straws tested. Sia Footage/Shutterstock Drinking straws that are made from materials like paper and bamboo are often promoted as more eco-friendly than their plastic counterparts. However, a new study …
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have an imbalance of brain chemicals – our discovery could mean a treatment breakthrough: MRI brain scan. SpeedKingz/Shutterstock People often jokingly say they’ve “got a bit of OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder) if they are overly organised or tidy. But OCD is actually a severe and disabling disorder characterised by obsessions – recurrent …
Countries agreed to ban ozone-depleting chemicals in the 1980s – but we found five CFCs increasing to record levels in the atmosphere: Despite a global ban in place since 2010, atmospheric concentrations of five ozone-depleting chemicals have reached a record high. Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, are entirely man-made gases used in a variety of applications, including …
PFAS: you can’t smell, see or taste these chemicals, but they are everywhere – and they’re highly toxic to humans: PFAS are persistent and spread through the atmosphere via hydrological processes. Chatchawal Phumkaew/Shutterstock Humans perceive risk based largely on what we can see, smell and taste. Those senses serve us well when there are perceptible …
‘Forever chemicals’ are everywhere – here’s what you need to know about them: Some non-stick pans may contain PFAS. Parpalea Catalin/ Shutterstock Whether you’ve heard of them before or not, “forever chemicals” are all around us. Stain-resistant carpets, non-stick pans, mascara and even some food packaging all contain these chemicals. But while these products can …
Cape Town’s caracals are exposed to harmful ‘forever chemicals’ through their diet: Caracals feed mainly on native, wild species. Jacque Smit If you live near or have visited Cape Town’s urban edge – where urban and natural areas meet – you may have been lucky enough to spot a caracal. These adaptable, medium-sized wild cats …
South Africa in the news: UPL fire: here’s the full inventory of chemicals in the destroyed Cornubia warehouse: The long list of deadly pesticides, herbicides and intermediate products in the burnt-down warehouse contains hundreds of entries totalling over 6,000 cubic metres. Among the chemicals are several …: “South Africa” – BingNews Cradles of the Freedom …
South Africa in the news: ‘Lift the cloud of secrecy over Durban toxic chemicals explosion,’ MPs and community leaders demand: It has been exactly a month since a massive cloud of toxic chemical fumes engulfed residential areas over large parts of Durban for 12 days – but government officials and the Indian-owned UPL …: “South …
Coastal landfills risk leaking long-banned toxic chemicals into the ocean: Five years ago, a killer whale called Lulu washed up on the shores of Scotland. She was thought to be over 20 years old, though autopsies revealed she had never had any offspring. Tissues recovered from Lulu suggested she was one of the most PCB-contaminated …
Toxic chemicals linked to lower egg counts in women: This is the first study to investigate how chemical exposure impacts the number of eggs a woman has. Peakstock/ Shutterstock Birth rates are decreasing worldwide. In all European countries they’re even dropping below population replacement levels, which refers to the number of children needed per woman …
Male fertility: how everyday chemicals are destroying sperm counts in humans and animals: The sperm count of western men is falling at an alarming rate. Komsan Loonprom/Shutterstock Within just a few generations, human sperm counts may decline to levels below those considered adequate for fertility. That’s the alarming claim made in epidemiologist Shanna Swan’s new …