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PFAS plan sparks backlash over weak protections
A petition opposing North Carolina’s proposed PFAS plan is gaining support. The plan is drawing backlash from advocates who say it lacks enforcement and could shift cleanup costs to communities.
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US Forest Service took years to address PFAS in wildland firefighting gear
As early as 2021, government officials were alerted to the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals known as PFAS in pants used by wildland firefighters, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.
Credit: Louis Velazquez/Unsplash
Environment takeaways from the spending deal
The Senate approved a three-bill spending package for fiscal 2026. Lawmakers also passed a stopgap for the rest of the government.
Credit: İsmail Enes Ayhan/Unsplash
Advocates raise alarm over PFAS pollution from datacenters amid AI boom
Environmental groups are raising alarms that datacenters run by tech giants like Google and Microsoft could be releasing PFAS “forever chemicals” into air and water, compounding their climate and energy impacts as AI demand surges.
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EPA moves to prioritize review of new chemicals for data centers
The agency’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, says he wants to “get out of the way” and stop “gumming up the works” so that fast-track construction of the massive computing facilities will “make America the artificial intelligence capital of the world.”
Newsletter
Opinion: Trump’s new science policy puts politics ahead of public health
Federal agencies can now elevate uncertainty and suppress dissent under a new executive order reshaping how science informs policy decisions.
In short:
- A new executive order allows political appointees to define scientific integrity and control what evidence federal agencies use in policymaking.
- Scientists who publicly dissent from political decisions risk being accused of misconduct, with no clear process for appeal.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is already delaying enforcement of PFAS drinking-water standards and canceling related research, citing uncertainty despite strong evidence of health harms.
Why this matters:
The integrity of science in government decisions is vital for protecting public health and the environment. When officials obscure or downplay evidence — especially on issues like PFAS contamination, climate impacts, or air pollution — it delays action and puts people at risk. PFAS compounds, for example, have been linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, and developmental harm, especially in children. If agencies are forced to treat inconclusive or incomplete data as a reason to do nothing, health protections will erode. Moreover, punishing scientists for speaking out creates a chilling effect that undermines transparency and slows the advancement of knowledge. Regulatory systems built to protect people then become tools for shielding polluters, with lasting consequences for communities and ecosystems.
Learn more: Scientists produce anti-autocracy handbook to protect their work and defend democracy
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Animals can tell us what pollution is left behind
Preserved birds, fish, and coral are helping scientists reconstruct decades of toxic pollution, filling in environmental data gaps and pointing to hidden health risks today.
In short:
- Researchers are turning to natural history museum specimens to track historical pollution, revealing how chemicals like lead and mercury have saturated both wildlife and human communities.
- A study found that house sparrows living near lead-mining towns in Australia had blood-lead levels that closely mirrored those of children living in the same areas.
- Coral skeletons from Spain’s Mediterranean coast captured fossil fuel pollution spikes from 1969 to 1992, helping pinpoint when human impact on the planet sharply accelerated.
Key quote:
“These specimens that exist in collections around the world have incidentally captured environmental samples from places and times that we can never return to, so we can use them to backfill the environmental record.”
— Shane DuBay, biologist at the University of Texas at Arlington and lead author on the study
Why this matters:
Archives of animal tissue are doing something our governments and industries often fail to do: preserving the evidence. Coral skeletons, like geological black boxes, are chronicling decades of fossil fuel pollution, pinpointing with grim precision when humanity hit the gas on planetary damage. In a world still battling with mercury, PFAS, and microplastics, the past isn’t past. It’s embedded in flesh and bone.
Read more: Why is the chemical industry pitting public health against economic growth?
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