Bad Chemistry

Articles by Sharon Lerner on the global contamination crisis surrounding toxic industrial chemicals such as PFOA, PFOS, and GenX. The U.S. has refused to regulate the chemicals in this class, known as PFAS, despite the fact that they persist indefinitely in the environment and have been linked to cancer and many other illnesses.

Bad ChemistryEuropean Countries Announce Plan to Phase Out Toxic PFAS Chemicals by 2030

Sharon Lerner — December 19 2019

A strategy report submitted to the European Commission maps out a comprehensive attack on PFAS chemicals, which have contaminated water around the world.

Bad ChemistryTop U.S. Toxicologist Was Barred From Saying PFAS Cause Disease in Humans. She’s Saying It Now.

Sharon Lerner — October 24 2019

Linda Birnbaum, former head of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, says she was barred from saying PFAS is a cause of human disease.

Bad ChemistryToxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Artificial Turf

Sharon Lerner — October 8 2019

The presence of the PFAS chemicals in turf adds to growing concerns about the grass replacement that covers more than 1,000 acres around the country.

Bad ChemistryEPA Allowed Companies to Make 40 New PFAS Chemicals Despite Serious Risks

Sharon Lerner — September 19 2019

New PFAS compounds present many of the same threats associated with PFOA, PFOS, and the other chemicals they replaced.

Bad ChemistryIndustry Cites 3M Research on Cancer Patients Exposed to PFOA to Claim the Chemical Isn’t So Bad

Sharon Lerner — August 12 2019

The 3M-funded study is at odds with extensive scientific literature based on large populations of people who had been exposed to PFAS for years.

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