California farmland doused with 2.5 million pounds of PFAS pesticides each year, analysis finds - The New Lede
Farm fields in California, the largest US agricultural state, are sprayed each year with an average of 2.5 million pounds of pesticides containing toxic PFAS, potentially exposing millions of people to the chemicals through contaminated food, soil and drinking water, according to a new analysis of state regulatory data.
New North Carolina PFAS exposure findings as Chemours plans expansion
Scientists detected high levels of two under-the-radar PFAS chemicals in blood serum samples from residents of Wilmington, North Carolina, collected before the local fluorochemical manufacturing plant began taking measures in 2017 to halt the flow of “forever chemicals” into the community’s drinking water.
US EPA bans toxic dry cleaning chemical
By Shannon Kelleher The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a ban on a highly toxic chemical used in dry cleaning, glue and stain removers, a move the agency called a “major milestone for chemical safety after decades of inadequate protections and serious delays.” The new rule will ban the manufacture and processing of trichloroethylene (TCE) for most products within one year, allowing a longer phaseout period for TCE use in aircrafts, medical devices and some other applications. TCE is a known human carcinogen, and is also linked to birth defects and liver and kidney disease, as well as a surge in global Parkinson’s disease diagnoses. “With no doubt that these chemicals are deadly, there is no doubt that this final rule will save lives - especially our children’s lives - around the country,” Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) said in a statement. The chemical, contaminates the drinking water of an estimated 19 million people, posing an especially high risk to pregnant women, infants and young children.. In a 2020 risk evaluation, the EPA found that 52 out of 54 conditions of use for TCE carry “unreasonable” health risks. While all uses of TCE will ultimately be prohibited, “some of the exemptions associated with longer timeframes are necessary to avoid impacts to national security or critical infrastructure,” the EPA states on its website.
Poisoned Packages: Thursday past, I mentioned vulnerable NPM packages. ADDITIONAL vulnerable packages have now been found: (see:
https://thehackernews.com/2023/11/48-malicious-npm-packages-found.html) that, frighteningly, contain REVERSE DEV SHELLS! To secure your deployments, review OWASP guidelines on NPM package security here:
https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/NPM_Security_Cheat_Sheet.html#npm #poision #security #packages #owasp
48 Malicious npm Packages Found Deploying Reverse Shells on Developer Systems
48 malicious npm packages discovered. They can secretly compromise your system with a reverse shell.
Paul Houle
Chema Alonso 
Stephen McMaster