Silicone wristbands can monitor exposure to 'forever chemicals' over time

Silicone wristbands could help scientists monitor for 
chemicals. (Venier Lab photo via The Conversation CC)

Silicone wristbands are a new noninvasive method to measure Americans’ exposure to "forever chemicals", or PFAS, reports Yaw Edu Essandoh for The Conversation.

These synthetic chemicals, often found in water systems, soils and consumer products, have been a growing public concern and become more prevalent in everyday environments, Essandoh explains.

Traditional monitoring tools for measuring their exposure have only used samples from a single point in time and can be invasive, like drawing someone’s blood or testing soil or water from one location on one day, reports Essandoh. However, Essandoh found from his environmental chemistry research that people or animals living in the same environment “showed very different chemical profiles.”

Since people are exposed continuously throughout the day, new noninvasive tools are becoming more popular to monitor exposure over a period of time, Essandoh reports. One such tool is the silicone wristbands, made of silicone polymer, which “absorb chemicals from the surrounding environment over time, similar to how skin or fur interacts with air, dust and surfaces." Researchers can then extract these compounds from the wristband and examine the pattern of exposure, once the wristband is worn for multiple days or weeks.

Other noninvasive methods scientists have started using to track exposure include “passive air samplers placed in homes or small wearable devices,” explains Essandoh. These types of devices can also be used for animals and wildlife, instead of drawing their blood, to better understand how PFAS affect their ecosystems and to identify emerging risks sooner.

Noninvasive monitoring tools aren’t meant to eliminate traditional monitoring, Essandoh explains, but to provide additional context to how exposure moves through time and space and to entice more volunteers to participate in studies. “They offer ways to better understand cumulative exposure, identify overlooked pathways and inform environmental health and conservation decisions.”

USDA can remediate 'forever chemical' pollution on U.S. farmlands, new study shows

The new report found that the USDA can respond to
PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland. (TNL photo)

The Department of Agriculture has the resources to address PFAS contamination on U.S. farmland, a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report finds.

The study, which was partially sponsored by the USDA, lists the various tools and remediation planning that can be used to reduce contamination caused by "human-made chemicals that accumulate in the environment and the bodies of humans and animals," which are collectively called "PFAS" or "forever chemicals," reports Shannon Kelleher for The New Lede.

Fertilizer use is one way farmers have unintentionally polluted their soil with forever chemicals. Kelleher explains, "PFAS end up on agricultural lands when farmers apply tainted sewage sludge as a fertilizer, contaminating crops and soil with chemicals linked to certain cancers and other health harms." Forever chemicals can also be added to soil through PFAS-laced pesticides.

The report included a remediation outline and noted that the USDA could leverage its considerable resources to address the farmland PFAS crisis. Researchers suggested the USDA use predictive models, on-site testing and "develop PFAS screening levels for different types of agriculture facilities, soil types and climates," Kelleher reports.

The report also recommends the USDA analyze how forever chemicals interact with different soils and climates to "develop better mechanisms to trap or sequester PFAS, and research ways to minimize the uptake of PFAS in plants and animals," Kelleher writes.

The February Farm Bill draft includes "language that would permit research grants on the agricultural impacts of PFAS in land exposed to firefighting foams, sewage sludge or compost containing the chemicals," Kelleher adds.

Quick hits: Mail riders of the past; the future of meat; child care solution; Thoreau's cabin; PFAS-free water

A mail rider makes his way through a creek bed near
Jackson, Ky., in 1940. (Library of Congress photo)

Over hill and dale and on all kinds of trails, horseback postal routes required mail riders to face treacherous paths, wild weather, unpredictable wildlife and inaccurate maps. "Routes they took were originally Native American and traders’ paths and roads carved through the forests, river valleys and mountains," writes Todd Kozak for Lancaster Farming. "Post riders and their horses worked in all weather and on set schedules. . . . A map of post routes published by the post office in 1897 shows a myriad of routes and offices. By the early 1920s, most of them had vanished."

Human diets of the future might not be about going vegan, quitting bacon or eschewing beef. Instead, Bruce Friedrich, author of Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food and Our Future, presents "alternative meat" as the planet's best answer. "And to be clear, he’s not talking about gardenburgers or tofurkey," writes Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch. "We now have the ability to take real meat cells from an animal and replicate them. The product is actually meat, but it’s not from a dead animal. . . . Alternative meat can’t compete by being better for the environment or nicer for animals. For most people, he acknowledges, food is not an ethical decision. It has to taste as good and be as cheap. . . ."

At Little Break, parents can be on-site with their 
children and still get their work done. (Little Break photo)

For parents struggling to find affordable child care, a new model being used in Michigan offers a solution that combines parental work spaces with a child care center. "Users say its prices are a fraction of what other daycare centers charge," reports Anna Patton of Reasons to be Cheerful. "Little Break" is a nonprofit, non-licensed child care facility where "parents must remain on-site, and take care of feeding and diaper changes. Otherwise, they get on with work in an adjoining room, while paid staff. . . watch the children." An added perk of the model is that parents can be there to witness childhood milestones they would otherwise miss.

Tired of their current work lives, some mid-career professionals have left their jobs and trained in a trade. "At 27, Lauren O’Connor was living paycheck to paycheck as a Montessori teacher, making $29 an hour with no benefits," report Allison Pohle and Te-Ping Chen of The Wall Street Journal. "Today, the 33-year-old earns $45 an hour — brazing, welding and soldering pipes for a local contractor. Though she sees more women on job sites these days, it wasn’t that way at first. Proving herself to the guys was stressful, she says." Other trades career-changers took up were airline pilot, electrical apprentice and cardiovascular sonographer.

 Original title page of Walden featuring a 
picture drawn by Thoreau's sister Sophia.

Among more modern fans of Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book, Walden or Life in the Woods, a group is building "full-scale replicas" of the late transcendentalist's cabin, reports Dorie Chevlen of The New York Times. Thoreau's book, which centers on simple life and self-reliance, recounts how he built his little cabin all on his own, except when neighbors helped him raise the frame. Two brothers, Jasper and Satchel Sieniewicz, who worked together to build a replica, "can’t believe it was a one man job. . . . Even using a sawmill and power tools, it took them three summers of labor ... Thoreau was living in his cabin in under three months." Read how other Thoreau fans fared with their Walden cabins here. 

In the small community of Rothschild, Wis., the water is healthier because it's nearly PFAS free. PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," can cause devastating health issues for humans. The village used settlement dollars to build a new water treatment facility. "This facility is actively working to decrease the levels of PFAS in the community's drinking water," reports Dylan Eckhart of WAOW. The Rothschild plant "utilizes a granular activated carbon filtration system to remove PFAS. . . .PFAS contamination became a concern for Rothschild residents in 2022 when it was detected in a sample from village wells."

Forever chemicals in drinking water are a national problem, but smaller communities face the biggest challenge

Minnesota lawmakers learn about technology to remove PFAS.
(Photo by Tad Johnson, Dakota Tribune)

The costs of removing forever chemicals, or PFAS, from municipal water could leave smaller communities behind. Most rural utilities don't have a PFAS contaminant filtration system, nor can they afford one, a 2025 study found. "Small, rural communities are the least likely to have the advanced systems in place," reports Brian Bienkowski for The New Lede.

The technology to remove the long-lasting, human-made "forever chemicals" found in many commercial and industrial products that have been linked to a range of health risks, including several types of cancer, fertility issues and developmental delays in children, can cost millions of dollars to purchase and install.

Even smaller cities are struggling to cover the costs to remove forever chemicals. In Apple Valley, Minnesota, some of the expenses utilities are paying to bring PFAS levels in their drinking water into compliance with Environmental Protection Agency rules will "likely hike water rates [customers pay] to fund a $100 million project to rid its wells of PFAS," reports Eva Herscowitz of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

To help buffer the costs, Apply Valley is asking its legislature to "include $40 million in the 2026 bonding bill for the project that would add membrane filter technology, which would increase the treatment plant’s capacity from 18 million gallons per day to 20 MGD," reports Tad Johnson of Thisweek Dakota County Tribune.

Like many rural areas with higher levels of PFAS contaminants, Apple Valley can't trace the source of its forever chemicals, which has allowed some communities to tap lawsuit dollars from companies such as 3M that were found responsible for tainting regional wells.

The Environmental Study Group found that "just 8% of U.S. water systems are equipped with filters that can remove PFAS. And 98% of systems that have PFAS detections do not have treatment targeting the chemicals."

Dan Hartnett, the chief policy officer at the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, cited a report that "estimated annual household cost to pay for the advanced treatment methods would average an additional $230 per household per year," Bienkowski writes. Hartnett added, “The numbers were significantly higher for the smallest water systems."

Quick hits: Racing cars with a 'twist;' egg prices slide; lower tariff for 'happy nut;' bird flu cases slow; PFAS trial

The Gary Wilson Jr. 2009 Toyota Yaris heads down the track. (Photo by Sam Wolfe, NPR)

Camden, S.C., may only have 7,800 people, but it hosts a raucous event where residents and visitors are treated to cars with bad rap sheets and crazy detailing. "The race cars roll into downtown like an old-fashioned circus . . . . A Honda Civic has a lawnmower, squirrels and flamingoes on its roof," reports Bill Chappell of NPR. "They're all here for the local installment of 24 Hours of Lemons, an endurance car race with a major twist: The cars can't cost more than $500. The series bills itself as 'racing for real people.' The 24 Hours of Lemons races started more than 15 years ago in California. There are now 23 races each year, from coast to coast."

Good news! Sort of. "The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March," reports Dee-Ann Durbin of The Associated Press. "It was the first month-to-month drop in egg prices since October 2024. Overall, the average price of eggs of all sizes fell 12.7%, the steepest monthly decline since March 1984. . . . Still, retail egg prices remain near historic highs."

California farmers grow millions of pounds of
pistachios a year. (Adobe Stock photo)

U.S. farmers aren't the only ones grateful for a break from extreme U.S.-China tariffs -- Chinese pistachio lovers are also rejoicing. "Chinese consumers crave pistachios for their taste and health benefits, referring to them in a way that translates to 'happy nuts,'" reports Jim Carlton of The Wall Street Journal. "Since 2017, the value of U.S. pistachios shipped into China has shot up 20-fold from $42 million to $842 million last year, accounting for almost a third of the $3 billion crop."

Dairy trade between the United States and the United Kingdom has historically been skewed in the UK's favor; however, the new negotiation framework announced by the Trump administration "marks a crucial turning point as the U.S. seeks a level playing field with global dairy exporters," reports Karen Bohnert of Dairy Herd Management. "According to Gregg Doud, president of the National Milk Producers Federation, achieving a robust trade agreement with the UK is a vital step in correcting the current imbalances in the dairy trade."

Chickens, farmers and farm workers enjoy a reprieve from bird flu infections. (MedPage Today photo)

While not entirely explainable, "detections of H5N1 avian influenza have slowed in both animals and humans, but continued surveillance is warranted, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said," reports Kristina Fiore of MedPage Today. "Someone questioned whether there was seasonality to H5N1. . . .Todd Davis, PhD, chief of the virology at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said any seasonality noted in other countries 'primarily corresponds to migratory bird patterns.'"

The first PFAS, or "forever chemicals," personal injury trial will focus on plaintiffs who allege they developed kidney cancer from firefighting foam. "The trial, set for Oct. 20, could include up to three individuals who claim their exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) caused their cancer," reports Pat Rizzuto of Bloomberg Law. "In [an] effort to manage the nearly 10,000 personal injury cases that are part of the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation MDL 2873, Judge Richard M. Gergel, with the U.S. District Court for the District of S.C., established three batches of cases involving different illnesses."

Flora & Fauna: Super Ronin, the landmine smelling rat; red corn revivial; skijoring in the U.S.A.; the strangest hitchhiker

Ronin the African giant pouched rat is one of more than 100 rats trained by a Belgian nonprofit to
sniff out deadly landmines. (Photo by Guinness World Records via Smithsonian magazine)

If you think rats are just dirty rodents, think again. Meet Super Rat Ronin and his "landmine-sniffing rat pack who are making a name for rodents everywhere by saving innocent civilians from hidden explosives," reports Lex Harvey of CNN. "The African giant pouched rat recently set a new world record for the most landmines detected by a rat. Ronin's main handler, Phanny, told the Guinness publication, "Ronin’s achievements are a testament to the incredible potential of rats."

Two University of Wisconsin plant experts became the Nancy Drews of botany. Their goal was to help revive a near-dead heirloom red corn for a local distiller who wanted to use the unique seed to create new bourbon flavor. "It took some serious seed vault sleuthing, a deep dive into a germplasm bank, and a retread of historical breeding efforts, but the bounty of those efforts is now flowing from fine oaken barrels," reports Audra Koscik for UW Plant Sciences. The J. Henry & Sons bourbon distilled with red corn has a "distinct flavor and is higher in protein, fat, and oil content, trading efficiency for quality and flavor."

Modern skijoring riders use horses instead of skis.
(The Daily Yonder photo)

It all began with Scandinavians, skis and reindeer, but it has branched out into an annual contest in rural Leadville, Colorado, where contestants use horses instead of reindeer and ski at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. "It’s called skijoring, and it’s nothing new," reports Jared Ewy for The Daily Yonder. "Leadville’s course features multiple jumps and several rings. . . . Estimates say there are about 5000 people in attendance. Leadville’s population is just over 2600." Skijoring contestant, Stephanie Weber, told Ewy, "It’s high-speed, horse-powered chaos."

Farmers aren't the only ones who could be spreading PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," as they tend their crops. American gardeners and lawn-lovers who use sludge fertilizer might be unwittingly exposing themselves and their soil to PFAS. "Your plants might love fertilizers containing nutrient-rich sewage sludge, but treating your garden or lawn with these products could be exposing you to 'forever chemicals,'" reports Allyson Chiu of The Washington Post. To read the steps that will help consumers avoid PFAS fertilizers, click here.

Spring will bring calling cicadas.
(Photo by Sagar Vasnani, Unsplash)

They're almost here and make no mistake, they will be noisy. "With spring will come warmer temperatures, flora in bloom -- and millions of screaming insects emerging from their resting place beneath the ground," reports Julia Jacobo of ABC News. "Three species of cicada that only emerge once every 17 years are gearing up to spring to the surface in droves. . . . States like Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and North Carolina can expect to witness the emergence of Brood XIV this year. . . .Those who witness emergences can upload their accounts to Cicada Safari, a citizen science program that tracks cicada."

When life gets too exhausting for this octopus, he gets a "Lyft" from another marine animal. "When she spotted the mako shark in the Hauraki Gulf off of New Zealand, Rochelle Constantine, a marine ecologist, was concerned. The animal had a curious orangey-brown mass perched on top of its head," reports Melissa Hobson of The New York Times. Constantine and her crew dangled a drone camera above the shark to uncover the orange mystery. 

                        Don’t stick your eight arms out so far, they may go home in another shark.
                        (Video by Esther Stuck And Wednesday Davis, University Of Auckland)

"An octopus was riding the shark. They nicknamed it the 'sharktopus' and said it was one of the strangest things they had ever seen in the ocean," Hobson writes. "The team identified the eight-armed commuter as a Maori octopus. The hefty cephalopods can stretch up to 6.5 feet and weigh around 26 pounds. They are the largest octopus in the Southern Hemisphere. Even riding a huge predator like the shark, a shortfin mako, this hitchhiker occupied a lot of room. . ."