By The Defender Staff

‘Forever Chemicals’ May Be Linked to Childhood Leukemia

MedicalXPress reported:

Early exposure to PFAS, a group of widely used compounds known as “forever chemicals,” was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, according to University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health researchers. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

PFAS are found in drinking water, food and beverage containers, and everyday items like nonstick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics. They don’t break down easily and can build up in the body over time. The study adds to earlier research by the same team, which tracked PFAS exposure in drinking water among more than 40,000 California children.

That work, published in Environmental Epidemiology, linked higher levels of two common PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, to increased risk of several childhood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia and Wilms tumor.

Pesticide Exposure Linked to 150% Higher Cancer Risk — Study

Punch Newspapers reported:

A new study has found that exposure to pesticide-heavy environments may raise cancer risk by up to 150 percent, even when the chemicals involved are individually considered safe. According to ScienceDaily on Monday, citing the study, living in areas with high levels of mixed pesticide exposure could “raise cancer risk by up to 150%,” adding that such mixtures may “silently damage cells years before cancer appears.”

The study found a strong connection between environmental exposure to agricultural pesticides and an increased risk of cancer. It combined environmental monitoring, national cancer registry data and biological research by scientists from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, Institut Pasteur, University of Toulouse, and the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases in Peru.

The MAHA Movement Is Mad About the Weedkiller Glyphosate and Trump’s EPA

NPR reported:

In a sign of the simmering discontent within the Make America Healthy Again coalition, some of its most visible figures rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, lobbing criticism at the Trump administration for siding with a pesticide-maker.

Inside, the justices were hearing arguments in a highly-anticipated case involving the glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup. “You cannot claim to care about health while protecting poison. You cannot tell Americans to eat real food while protecting the cancer-causing chemicals sprayed on it,” wellness influencer and “MAHA mom” Vani Hari, who goes by the “Food Babe,” told the assembled crowd at the “People Versus Poison” rally.

Many of those who spoke were longtime allies of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who brought his supporters into the MAGA fold when he endorsed Trump.

Microplastics Have Been Found to Interact With the Gut Microbiome. Here’s What Health Effects They Might Have

Physics News reported:

Through the air we breathe and the food we eat, we can’t help but inhale and ingest tiny bits of plastic every day. These microplastics, as they’re known, have been found in many parts of the human body — including the lungs, placenta and blood vessels. Research has even linked the presence of microplastics to cardiovascular disease and poor health in humans.

Evidence also shows that microplastics can interact with the gut microbiome — and their presence could contribute to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Microplastics are microscopic fragments of plastic that are smaller than 5mm long (and as small as 0.001mm) — and they’re everywhere. Some microplastics are created intentionally, glitter and confetti being obvious everyday examples. Others are created when larger plastic items are worn down (such as when plastic pollution in the ocean or environment is eroded).

Nevertheless, whether they’re shed from plastic chopping boards, in our drinking water or inadvertently added to processed food products, we could consequently be consuming up to 5g every week.

Cities Sue EPA for Failing to Uphold Soot Standard

Utility Dive reported:

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set air quality standards for fine particulate matter from vehicle exhaust pipes, power plants and factories and to designate areas of the country in violation of those standards. In 2024, the EPA under President Joe Biden set new standards lowering the soot standard from 12 micrograms to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air by 2032.

Republican attorneys general from 24 states and a coalition of industry organizations filed lawsuits with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to overturn the new standard a month later. California led a lawsuit to defend the standard in April 2024.

In November, the EPA asked the D.C. Court of Appeals to strike down the stricter limits.

Both cases are still pending. California, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Wisconsin joined the local governments in Friday’s lawsuit.

The Great American Data Center Divide

Ars Technica reported:

In Tazewell County, Illinois, Michael Deppert depends on a natural pool of water beneath the sandy soils of his farm to irrigate the pumpkins, corn, and soybeans growing in his fields. So when a data center was proposed about eight miles away, he feared it would tap the same aquifer, potentially eroding crop yields and profits.

Deppert, who is also the president of the local farm bureau lobby group, says locals were also “nervous” about how a data center would affect the “good, clean drinking water.” Residents launched a fierce opposition campaign, packing city council meetings and mounting petitions.

After several months, the project, led by developer Western Hospitality Partners, was scrapped. As the industry has expanded, public opinion has hardened against it. Pew research found that Americans are far more likely to view data centers as harmful than beneficial in terms of environmental impact, domestic energy costs, and quality of life in nearby communities.

The post ‘Forever Chemicals’ May Be Linked to Childhood Leukemia + More appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.

 

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