Environmental Health News

Hundreds of military bases have been putting off cleanup of toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, for years, according to a new USA TODAY analysis of military records. The latest round of delays, which the Pentagon posted in an obscure corner of its website in May, has pushed some deadlines out decades, or removed them altogether.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to revise groundwater arsenic limits for a monitoring well at the Pinyon Plain uranium mine south of the Grand Canyon, concluding that higher arsenic levels in the well were naturally occurring.

Frank von Hippel, PhD, interviews Tracey Woodruff, professor at Stanford University and an environmental pollution expert, about the impacts of chemical exposure on children.

From Prescott to the border town of Nogales, "forever chemicals" contaminate the water of nearly 2 million people in Arizona. Some affected utilities have shut down wells and connected to clean sources of water or paid millions for treatment, but dealing with contamination will be a multi-generational problem.

Arizona will receive $20 million in federal dollars to address PFAS "forever chemicals" and other harmful contaminants in the drinking water of small or disadvantaged communities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced May 19.

As the toxic legacy of ‘forever chemicals’ grows, researchers are racing to develop safer alternatives.

Each year, the US News & World Report ranks universities in over 50 fields of study based on research performance. In 2026, the U of A was ranked number two in the field of water resources. US News compiles this list with bibliometric data from the analytics company Clarivate, which operates the research platforms Web of Science and ProQuest. Factors such as number of publications in the field and the reputation of the publishing journals play a role in determining ranking.

Scientists have found higher levels of minuscule plastic particles in brain tissue surrounding tumours than in samples of healthy brain.

Studies show that increased pesticide use shows new effects on the gut microbiome, and can increase long-term health effects.

Under fire from its Make America Healthy Again supporters for lack of action on toxic substances, President Donald Trump’s administration last week announced a new research program on microplastics and plans to consider regulating those contaminants and pharmaceuticals in drinking water.