Landfills release airborne PFAS
Municipal landfills across the U.S. may be burping breathable “forever chemicals” into the air, a new study shows.
Researchers studied emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, finding that chemical-laden gas was released when trash containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, decayed.
PFAS is used in a range of consumer products that are discarded in landfills, including water-resistant clothing, cosmetics and personal products, noted the research, published June 26 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Wastewater sludge, which contains treated materials such as toilet paper, also contributes to PFAS in landfills.
While more than a dozen types of PFAS were detected in the emissions, fluorotelomer alcohols, also known as FTOH, accounted for the majority of the chemicals. FTOH from carpets, upholstery and other textiles treated with stain repellants is commonly found in indoor air in homes and schools.
Previous research from some of the same team of scientists found that PFAS-contaminated water seeps from landfills, sometimes into nearby waterways. In the new study, the researchers estimated that the amount of PFAS released by landfill burps may be even greater than that released through liquid runoff.
In response to concerns about liquid PFAS discharges from landfills, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to update its guidelines on the issue. Researchers in the new study suggested vapor release also be addressed to minimize PFAS inhalation.
About 13.2 million people in the U.S. live within one mile of a landfill, according to EPA, many of whom are people of color.
Many American households have high lead levels in their soil
The soil surrounding the households of tens of millions of Americans contains lead levels that potentially may be unsafe, new research says.
To better protect children and others who may come into contact with lead-contaminated dirt, EPA in January lowered its screening safety level for lead in residential soil from 400 parts per million to 200 ppm.
In the new study, published June 18 in GeoHealth, researchers found 25% of residential soil samples, which were collected from yards, gardens, alleys and other residential locations, exceeded the new 200 ppm level.
For households that have exposure to lead from multiple sources — such as from lead water service lines, paint and dust — the EPA guidance lowered the screening level for lead in residential soil further, to 100 ppm.
Nearly 40% of U.S. households — about 50 million — exceed that level, the new study estimated. Replacing the contaminated soil through traditional “dig and dump” methods could cost as much $1.2 trillion, researchers said.
Before EPA lowered its soil lead screening level, the guidance had remained unchanged for 30 years. But some states have set their own lower levels, including California, which has a standard of 80 ppm.
There is no safe blood level for lead in the human body. Lead exposure can be especially dangerous for developing nervous systems, harming the ability of children to learn, pay attention and do well in school.
Texas abortion ban associated with infant deaths
Infant deaths in Texas increased significantly after the state enacted its 2021 early-pregnancy abortion ban, a new study finds.
Texas Senate Bill 8, also known as SB8, banned abortions after embryonic cardiac activity was detected, with no exceptions for congenital anomalies. In the year after the law took effect in September 2021, deaths among Texas infants and newborns jumped 13% — an increase that was not found in other parts of the U.S.
Similarly, while infants deaths from congenital anomalies fell nationwide during the study period, they rose 23% in Texas, according to the study, which was published June 24 in JAMA Pediatrics.
With the state’s restrictive law in place — banning abortions as early as five weeks — pregnancies that might otherwise have been ended because of severe anomalies were carried to term, with infants dying soon after, the researchers suggested. Congenital anomalies, which include heart defects, neural tube defects and other life-threatening conditions, are the leading cause of infant mortality in the U.S., making up 20% of deaths.
The Texas measure was replaced in August 2022 by a law that banned all abortions in the state, except in situations in which the life or health of the pregnant patient is at risk. With near-complete abortion bans now in more than a dozen states and strict limits in others, study researchers said more increases in infant and newborn deaths could be expected to occur.
Increases in health care prices endanger jobs
Rising health care costs are driving job loss and increasing unemployment, a team of economists concludes.
In June 24 working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, researchers from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury teamed with economists at Yale, Harvard and other universities to examine the connection between health care pricing and labor costs.
They found that found that when health care prices increase, costs of employer-based health insurance go up as well. Employers outside the health care sector respond by reducing their payrolls and cutting worker jobs, primarily among those earning between $20,000 and $100,000 annually.
A mere 1% increase in health care prices lowers payroll and employment at companies by about 0.4%, the researchers determined. At the county level, that 1% increase would lower the area’s overall income by about $8 million a year.
Increases in health care costs have ramifications beyond job losses, the working paper said. A 1% jump in health care prices is also associated with a 2.7% increase in deaths from suicides and drug overdoses, with one in 140 people who become unemployed dying from such causes.
Other public health news of note this week includes:
• A New EPA proposal would close loopholes that allow power plants, incinerators and other industrial facilities to release air pollution into surrounding communities.
• People who live in government-sponsored low-income housing may be exposed to higher levels of pesticides, says a study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
• PFAS chemicals can be absorbed through human skin, groundbreaking new research in Environment International shows.
• Extreme temperatures cause people to miss medical appointments, new findings in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine say.
• Children with cancerous brain tumors who live in low-income communities may die sooner than those from high-income neighborhoods, science in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics finds.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.
