We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Stories of Global Chemical Pollution: Will We Ever Understand Environmental Persistence?
AI summary Read the abstract
This commentary highlights that PFOA and PFOS concentrations in rainwater now exceed U.S. EPA drinking water health advisories across most of the globe, drawing parallels to historical global pollutants like DDT and PCBs and emphasizing that the extreme persistence of PFAS means this contamination footprint will not disappear for generations.
R ecently, Cousins et al. 1 compared the levels of four perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, and PFHxS, in rainwater from various regions of the world with health advisories or environmental quality standards (EQSs) for these PFAAs.The health advisories and EQSs were recently released or updated and reflect the latest findings on the health impacts of the four PFAAs.Cousins et al. found that the levels of PFOA and PFOS in rainwater exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) drinking water health advisories for PFOA in all, and for PFOS in most, of the 16 regions considered, in many cases by >1 or even 2 orders of magnitude.This means that there is now a global PFAA footprint that is well visible with current analytical methods and also relevant in terms of possible health impacts.Cousins et al. also pointed out that it is the extreme persistence of PFAAs that has caused this problem of a global PFAA footprint (of course, in combination with PFAA emissions over many years) and that this footprint will not disappear any time soon.The paper by Cousins et al. quickly received a great deal of attention and, within 5 weeks, had been covered more than 280 times by the media (more than 200 000 views and a very high Altmetric score of >2800).As co-authors of the paper, we did not expect such a massive response and interest, and in light of this response, we would like to initiate a discussion about the basic problem that we addressed in our paper.Importantly, similar situations of global chemical pollution were already reported in the second half of the 20th century (see Figure 1).DDT was found to bioaccumulate in marine mammals in the Baltic 2 and to undergo long-range environmental transport. 3Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found in marine mammals, soils, air, seawater, freshwater, and precipitation around the world from the late 1960s on, 2,4,5 and their impacts on humans and wildlife can still be felt today. 6Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were predicted to cause stratospheric ozone depletion in 1974 7 and were detected in the troposphere and also in seawater globally; 8 the stratospheric ozone hole was experimentally confirmed in 1985. 9ike PFAAs, these chemicals caused global chemical pollution footprints.Also in their cases, the main factor that led to the global scale of the problem was the high
More Papers Like This
Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper evaluates plastic pollution and synthetic chemical contamination against the planetary boundaries framework, which defines safe operating limits for Earth systems. The analysis concludes that humanity has already exceeded the safe boundary for novel entities, including plastics, due to the pace of chemical production and global dispersal of persistent pollutants. The authors argue that current regulatory systems are inadequate to prevent irreversible harm to Earth's biosphere.
Forever Chemicals PFAS Global Impact and Activities, Cascading Consequences of Colossal Systems Failure: Long-Term Health Effects, Food-Systems, Eco-Systems
AI summary Read the abstract
This comprehensive review examines PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination across food, water, and consumer products, highlighting their interconnection with microplastic pollution. The authors document decades of delayed regulatory action and cover-ups that have contributed to widespread human exposure. Evidence indicates long-term health effects from PFAS exposure, and the review calls for stronger risk assessment tools and policy responses to address this persistent chemical contamination.
Fate, distribution, and transport dynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in the environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how PFAS, often called "forever chemicals," move through water, soil, plants, and air, with their ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bonds making them nearly indestructible in nature. While focused on PFAS rather than microplastics specifically, the two pollutants often co-occur and share similar concerns about persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential health effects.
Revisiting the “forever chemicals”, PFOA and PFOS exposure in drinking water
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed 180 years of evidence on PFOA and PFOS — two of the most detected 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) in drinking water — finding that contamination rates increased sharply between 2018 and 2019, and that many developing countries still lack the regulations or technology to address the problem. The review calls for stronger global monitoring systems and improved filtration technologies to protect drinking water supplies.
Why is High Persistence Alone a Major Cause of Concern?
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined why high environmental persistence alone is a major concern for chemicals, finding that persistent substances distribute globally, accumulate to higher concentrations than short-lived chemicals, and pose long-term risks that are difficult to reverse once contamination occurs.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.