By The Defender Staff
I Saw a Woman Throw Away All Her Polyester Activewear. Then I Started Questioning Mine
When Siya Gautam first showed up on my feed, she was throwing away all her polyester activewear. What a waste, I thought. Then the caption piqued my interest: “My very first investment in cleaning up my activewear with skin healthy fabrics.” The content creator picked Tencel Modal instead, which, she noted, is made from wood-based fibres and certified environmentally safe.
As a dancer, I’ve worn similar stretchy, sweat-proof clothes to my classes every day. Curious, I opened her page, and discovered a series of videos in which she routinely recommends non-toxic swaps for intimates, sleepwear and gymwear. Alarmed, I wondered, Were these everyday clothes causing unseen harm to my body?
Like Gautam, a growing corner of self-appointed investigators on social media is questioning chemicals in clothing and what they put on their bodies.
Almost all of them highlight the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) used in processing synthetic fabrics — petrochemical derivatives like polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex and elastane, commonly found in activewear, swimwear, innerwear, jackets, sweaters and blended fabrics — and are committed to making their wardrobes plastic free.
It isn’t just fast fashion, they point out: those wool blend sweaters and starchy cotton skirts at the upper end of the market almost always have a touch too much acrylic, polyester or acetate mixed in. Consumers have begun to ask: does premium pricing align with material integrity, and are we really paying the price with our health?
As Plastics Clog the Great Lakes, Industry Presses to Make More and Downplays Dangers, Tribune Analysis Finds
On an overcast day in this Great Lakes city, semitrucks pulled alongside railcars parked at a tree-lined siding. One by one, drivers jumped out, connected thick hoses from underneath their trailers and vacuumed up shipments from the Gulf Coast and Ohio River Valley. Sherri Mason sifted through what they left behind: Amidst the gravel rail bed, thousands of translucent white pellets littered the ground, throwaways from American industry’s insatiable appetite for plastic.
“Like stars in the night sky,” Mason, a Gannon University educator and researcher who goes by Sam, said as she waved a hand above the detritus. “Seemingly beautiful, until you realize what they are.” Then she nodded toward nearby storm drains that flush unfiltered into Lake Erie, one of five freshwater seas sustaining more than 40 million people in the United States and Canada.
More plastic bits, each barely larger than a grain of rice, scattered across asphalt outside a stop on delivery routes from the railroad. Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are manufactured by petrochemical plants specifically for the purpose of making new products. At least 15 factories here melt and mold the raw materials into water bottles, yogurt cups, fast-food packaging and scores of other goods.
Is There a Link Between Pesticides and Cancer? A Mixture of Chemicals May Drive the Risk
Pesticides are widely used in agriculture, parks, and gardens to control insects, fungi, and weeds. These chemicals often come with health concerns that remain poorly understood, with many linked to numerous forms of cancer, according to the organization Beyond Pesticides. Not all pesticides are considered carcinogens, and for some chemicals, there is insufficient research to determine whether they are safe. People are exposed to pesticides via water and food, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), but according to a report from the European Food Safety Authority, exposure levels are usually considered low.
A 2026 paper from the American Association for Cancer Research raised the alarm linking consumption of “healthy foods,” such as fruit and vegetables, to early-onset lung cancer due to the presence of pesticides. But this paper is based on a small sample and uses indirect measures of pesticide exposure. That means it’s a possible connection that needs much deeper study.
Due to these health concerns, many pesticides are already subject to bans in some locations. In the European Union, pesticides like dimethomorph, benthiavalicarb, ipconazole, and oxamyl are restricted. These chemicals are amongst a group known as the “toxic 12.” Controversy has also long swirled around the chemical glyphosate — used in a common herbicide — due to its suspected cancer risks, according to the Pesticide Action Network.
A 2026 Nature Health study has shed further light on this question, highlighting serious concerns of high exposure and the development of certain cancers at a national level. It also highlights that even when a pesticide is deemed “safe,” exposure to multiple chemicals can be problematic.
Maine Was Warned About Toxins in Sludge Decades Before PFAS Crisis Began
In 1983, two farmers attending a growers’ meeting in southwestern Maine heard about a new product that would change their lives, and farming in the state, for decades to come. That product was sludge, a muddy byproduct of industrial processes and municipal wastewater treatment that also contained nutrients for enriching soil.
For Fred Stone, a dairy farmer from Arundel, the decision to spread the fertilizer meant a free way to enrich his clay soil to grow cow feed. “I didn’t give it a second thought,” Stone recently said of his decision to use sludge.
But Tim Leary decided against it. It initially sounded like a good idea since he didn’t have enough manure for his Saco farm. But he later talked to friends at the wastewater department and local dairy who cautioned about the chemicals and heavy metals likely to be in the fertilizer, which was made of refuse from the S.D. Warren Paper Mill in Westbrook.
US Garbage Incinerators Are Failing to Eliminate ‘Forever Chemical’ Air Pollution, Experts Warn
The nation’s garbage incinerators are largely failing to eliminate Pfas “forever chemicals” air pollution, and are putting people in largely low-income neighborhoods at risk, public health advocates and independent experts warn.
The powerful waste management industry is increasingly pushing incinerators as a solution to virtually indestructible Pfas waste, and a new industry trade group report alleges Minnesota’s incinerators are reducing their forever chemical emissions by 99.6%. Other incinerator operators have made similar reduction claims.
The report also comes amid fights to shut down incinerators in Miami, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and a lawsuit filed against the Environmental Protection Agency over what it characterizes as a weak update to its emissions standards for the facilities, which do not include Pfas. Nearly 100 municipal or hazardous waste incinerators operate nationally, including seven in Minnesota.
Your Kitchen Sponge Is Releasing Microplastics Every Time You Wash Dishes
Kitchen sponges are a staple in most homes, but they may also be an overlooked source of microplastic pollution. A new study led by researchers at the University of Bonn examined how many tiny plastic particles are released from sponges during everyday dishwashing and what impact those particles have on the environment.
The results show that kitchen sponges do shed measurable amounts of microplastics over time. However, the researchers found that the biggest environmental burden associated with hand washing dishes is not the plastic particles themselves. Instead, water use accounts for the vast majority of the overall impact. Although kitchen sponges are used daily in millions of households, their role as a source of microplastics has received relatively little attention.
The research team set out to measure how much plastic is released as sponges wear down during normal use and to evaluate the environmental consequences through a life cycle assessment (LCA). To gather realistic data, the study combined laboratory testing with citizen science. Households in Germany and North America volunteered to use one of three sponge types as part of their regular dishwashing routines while documenting how the sponges were used.
Michigan Firefighter Blood PFAS Study Hints at Foam Ban Impact
Health officials say a 2020 ban on training with PFAS-laden firefighting foam may have helped reduce toxicant levels in the blood of Michigan firefighters, although results of a study do not offer concrete proof. A Michigan Department of Health and Human Services report released in May found PFAS in the blood of more than 1,000 firefighters tested over three years, creating what officials called a first-of-its-kind baseline for state occupational exposure.
The study found Michigan firefighters generally did not have higher average levels than the broader U.S. population for most measured chemicals, a result which officials speculate may reflect restriction on use of certain toxic foams enacted in 2020.
But the finding comes with a big caveat: Michigan does not have a pre-ban firefighter blood baseline to compare against. “The comparison isn’t straightforward,” said Priyashi Manani, an MDHHS epidemiologist who led the PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project.
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IPAK-EDU is grateful to The Defender as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More
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