A new study published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, found a correlation between certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, there is often no found cause for more than half the cases of unexplained pregnancy loss. According to researchers in the study, this lack of understanding “poses significant challenges to clinical management and contributes to heightened psychological burden among patients.”
The director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University, Phil Brown, told Newsweek in a recent interview: “We already know that PFAS are associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, reproductive toxicity, preeclampsia, decreased fertility and single occurrence of miscarriage.”
In May, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced his intention to rescind PFAS limits that were put in place during the last administration. According to Politico, based on a recent filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the current administration is asking for a Sept. 10 deadline to formally outline its new plans for “forever chemicals.”
Still, Wisconsin residents are waiting for access to the $125 million from the state’s PFAS trust fund, created approximately two years ago. Disagreements between Gov. Tony Evers and Republican lawmakers have been holding up communities impacted by chemical pollution. According to reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, residents are calling for compromise and an end to the partisan issues around remediation and access to clean water.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota dismissed the lawsuit from Cookware Sustainability Alliance that challenged Amara’s Law, which banned intentionally adding PFAS to consumer products. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Legislature recently amended Amara’s Law to exempt recreational vehicles from the definition of “juvenile” products, until 2032.
More PFAS news in case you missed it:
- Canada’s National Defense plans to solve its housing problem for military families by developing on sites contaminated with PFAS and other pollutants.
- Mariah Blake’s new book “The Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals” was discussed on a recent episode of Democracy Now.
- According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, “3M’s PFAS litigation far from over, billions more in settlements likely.”
- “New Jersey reaches billion-dollar PFAS settlement with DuPont, Chemours, Corteva,” according to WHYY.
- Several lawsuits allege that “wastewater from an industrial soya bean farm and processor has poisoned a Maryland town’s drinking water with PFAS.”
Featured image: PFAS. (Photo Credit: iStock)
