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November 21, 2025
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IARC Classifies Atrazine As Probably Carcinogenic to Humans
IARC Monographs Evaluate the Carcnogenicity of Atrazine, Alachlor, and Vinclozolin
Volume 140 of the IARC Monographs, expected to be published in late 2026 or early 2027, will classify the chemical atrazine as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This classification follows the meeting of an IARC working group in November 2025. Atrazine is one of the most widely used weed-control agents in the world. The announcement from IARC expresses concern about atrazine in drinking water near areas where the chemical is used agriculturally.
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Atrazine
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September 23, 2025
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Nanoplastics Found in Root Vegetables
Determining the Accumulation Potential of Nanoplastics in Crops: An Investigation of 14C-Labelled Polystyrene Nanoplastic into Radishes
Researchers at the University of Plymouth have discovered microplastics in vegetables. Using radishes, the researchers found that 10% of the plastics had been absorbed into the shoot of the plants after five days in a test solution.
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Microplastics
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September 15, 2025
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Phthalates in Personal Care Products and Food Packaging May Trigger More Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer
Endocrine Disruption to Metastasis: How Phthalates Promote Breast Carcinogenesis
A study has linked exposure to phthalates—commonly found in personal care products and food packaging—to damage to the body’s hormone systems. The study suggests that phthalates can act like estrogen in the body, potentially triggering uncontrolled cell growth. The researchers call for more long-term studies at lower doses of exposure to simulate more realistic exposure levels.
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Phthalates
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August 2025
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Prenatal Phthalate Exposure Lowers Boys’ Verbal IQ, Study Authors Claim
Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Preschool Children’s Intellectual Scores: Effect Modification by Child Sex
A published study of Canadian mothers and their children purports to have found a link between prenatal exposure to phthalate compounds, such as di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), and a negative and measurable impact on boys’ full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ). Although the authors note the dip in FSIQ was modest, they caution that even a small dip “can push thousands of children above or below educational thresholds, underscoring public health relevance.” The researchers call for further studies in “modern, diverse populations.”
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Phthalates
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August 2025
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Study Finds Microplastics in Beverages
Synthetic Microplastics in Hot and Cold Beverages from the UK Market
A University of Birmingham study purports to have found microplastics in each of the 31 drinks tested, not just in water. The highest concentrations were found in hot beverages like tea and coffee, especially those served in disposable cups, suggesting those containers are the source of the microplastics.
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Microplastics
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August 20, 2025
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EPA Postpones TSCA Rule on TCE Again
Extension of Postponement of Effectiveness for Certain Provisions of Trichloroethylene (TCE); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
The EPA is extending enforcement of its TSCA rule on TCE, most recently extended in June. The postponement only affects portions of the rule currently the subject of a legal challenge in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The EPA notes that the “extension of the postponement applies, for example, to the conditions imposed … for the use of TCE as a processing aid for specialty polymeric microporous sheet material manufacturing.” The postponement extended to November 17, 2025.
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TCE
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August 6, 2025
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EPA Seeks Comment on TSCA Regulation of BBP and DIBP
Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP); Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP); Draft Risk Evaluations Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Notice of Availability and Request for Comment
The EPA sought comment on its draft risk evaluation of the phthalates BBP and DIBP under the TSCA. The EPA has said the point of the rule is to determine whether the chemicals pose an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment under the conditions of use. The comment period closed October 6, 2025.
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Phthalates
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August 1, 2025
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Study Links Chlorpyrifos to Disrupted Sleep, Damage to Brain Function and Immune Health
Long Lasting Effects of Perinatal Exposure to the Chlorpyrifos Pesticide on Sleep, Breathing, and Neuroinflammation in Adult Mice
A published study has linked perinatal exposure to the insecticide Chlorpyrifos in mice to disrupted sleep patterns, brain inflammation—especially in female mice—and damage to genes that control immune responses. Chlorpyrifos was largely restricted to nonresidential use in 2000 but continues to be used in agriculture, at golf courses, and to control mosquitos. The EPA issued a proposed rule in December 2024 to further restrict the insecticide’s uses to certain crops. The authors of the study say it adds “to the literature on pregnancy and breastfeeding as a potentially vulnerable period to pesticide exposure.”
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Chlorpyrifos
Pesticides
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July 30, 2025
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Study Suggests People Breathe in 68,000 Potentially Lung-Penetrating Microplastics Daily
Human Exposure to PM10 Microplastics in Indoor Air
A study by Nadiia Yakovenko and colleagues at the Université de Toulouse used Raman spectroscopy to measure the size of microplastics suspended in the air in average homes and vehicles. They suggest in their findings that potentially 90% of such microplastics are small enough to penetrate human lungs, 100 times that previously estimated.
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Microplastics
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July 30, 2025
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EPA Seeks Comment on TSCA Regulation of PCE
Perchloroethylene (PCE); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Request for Comment
The EPA sought comment to inform its reconsideration of its December 2024 rule regulating PCE, a common solvent, under the TSCA. The rule required various workplace controls of PCE and imposed certain industrial, commercial, and consumer restrictions on its use. The EPA decided to reconsider the rule through rulemaking after several legal challenges to the new rule were launched this year. The comment period closed August 29, 2025.
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PCE
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July 15, 2025
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Study Purports to Link Microplastics to Changes in Lung Cells Associated with Cancer
Small Particles, Big Problems: Polystyrene Nanoparticles Induce DNA Damage, Oxidative Stress, Migration, and Mitogenic Pathways Predominantly in Non-malignant Lung Cells
Researchers at MedUni Vienna studied the interaction of lung cells with microplastics, claiming that after exposure, lung cells showed increased cell migration, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and the activation of signaling pathways that promote cell growth and survival. The study notes that further research is needed to fully understand any potential connection between microplastics and cancer.
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Microplastics
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July 9, 2025
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Study Shows Lead Exposure Leads to Faster Forgetting Among Children
Developmental Pb Exposure Increases Rate of Forgetting on a Delayed Matching-to-Sample Task Among Mexican Children
A study published in Science Advances found that developmental exposure to lead is associated with an increased rate of forgetting among children. The study measured blood lead levels during pregnancy and at ages four and six and used a delayed matching-to-sample task to measure rate of forgetting. The authors of the study claim that it shows that even low levels of lead can impair children’s cognitive function.
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Lead
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July 9, 2025
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Researchers Believe There Are 27 Million Tons of Nanoplastics in North Atlantic
Nanoplastic Concentrations Across the North Atlantic
Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Utrecht University, and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research performed analysis they believe allows them to quantify the amount of nanoplastics—microplastics less than a micrometer in size—in the North Atlantic Ocean. The researchers found that nanoplastics were distributed at all 12 sampling locations and all measured depths, even near the seabed. Their study led the researchers to conclude that nanoplastics account for more of the plastic in the ocean than either macroplastics or microplastics.
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Microplastics
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July 8, 2025
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EPA Extends Compliance Date for Coke Manufacturing Facilities to Comply with New NESHAP Standards
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Coke Ovens: Pushing, Quenching, and Battery Stacks, and Coke Oven Batteries; Residual Risk and Technology Review, and Periodic Technology Review
In response to petitions from industry submitted in September 2024, the EPA has extended the time for coke manufacturing facilities to comply with new requirements in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). These facilities now have until July 2027 to comply with new requirements for fence line monitoring, maximum achievable control technology, and regulations on emissions monitoring near oven doors.
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Coke
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June 30, 2025
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FDA Expects to Issue Guidance on Action Levels for Cadmium and Inorganic Arsenic in Baby Food
Foods Program Guidance Under Development
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published its Human Foods Program (HFP) guidance agenda for 2025. The agenda identifies cadmium and inorganic arsenic in food intended for babies or young children as areas for potential forthcoming guidance action levels. Although not bound by this agenda, the FDA does expect to issue draft or final guidance on these topics by December 2025.
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Arsenic
Cadmium
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| June 20, 2025 |
California Proposes Adding Microplastics to Its Candidate Chemicals List
DTSC Proposes Adding Microplastics to its Candidate Chemicals List
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has proposed adding microplastics as a candidate chemical to be regulated under the state’s Safer Consumer Products program. If the DTSC adopts microplastics as a candidate chemical, it could then identify certain products containing microplastics as priority products, requiring their manufacturers to perform certain analyses and comply with other regulations governing them. The public comment period on the DTSC’s proposal closed August 4, 2025.
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Microplastics
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