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GoGreenNation news

Scientists Uncover Missing Link Between Poor Diet and Cancer

News Feed
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Researchers at the National University of Singapore found that methylglyoxal, linked to poor diet and diabetes, can escalate cancer risk by damaging DNA and affecting genes that prevent cancer, offering new insights for cancer prevention strategies.New research has discovered that a chemical associated with unhealthy diets or uncontrolled diabetes may elevate the risk of cancer over time; Emerging evidence reveals a new way that tumors could develop.Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered new insights that could clarify the link between cancer risk and unhealthy diets, and other common diseases such as diabetes that are related to poor nutrition. The findings are also promising for the development of cancer prevention strategies that promote healthy aging.Led by Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, this ground-breaking study was conducted by scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at NUS and NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) under the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, with colleagues from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Prof Venkitaraman, Director of CSI Singapore, explained, “Cancer is caused by the interaction between our genes and factors in our environment, such as diet, exercise, and pollution. How such environmental factors increase cancer risk is not yet very clear, but it is vital to understand the connection if we are to take preventive measures that help us stay healthy longer.”A chemical linked to diabetes, obesity, and poor diet can heighten cancer riskThe research team first studied patients who are at a high risk of developing breast or ovarian cancers because they inherit a faulty copy of the cancer gene – BRCA2 – from their parents. They demonstrated that cells from such patients were particularly sensitive to the effects of methylglyoxal, which is a chemical produced when our cells break down glucose to create energy. The study showed that this chemical can cause faults in our DNA that are early warning signs of cancer development.The team’s research also suggested that people who do not inherit a faulty copy of BRCA2 but could experience higher-than-normal levels of methylglyoxal – such as patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes, which are connected with obesity or poor diet – can accumulate similar warning signs indicating a higher risk of developing cancer.Prof Venkitaraman elaborated, “Our research suggests that patients with high methylglyoxal levels may have higher cancer risk. Methylglyoxal can be easily detected by a blood test for HbA1C, which could potentially be used as a marker. Furthermore, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with medicines and a good diet, creating avenues for proactive measures against the initiation of cancer.”The study’s first author, Dr Li Ren Kong, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow from N2CR, added, “We started the study aiming to understand what factors elevate risk in families susceptible to cancer, but ended up discovering a deeper mechanism linking an essential energy consumption pathway to cancer development. These findings raise awareness of the impact of diet and weight control in the management of cancer risks.”A novel mechanism for tumor formationInterestingly, the research team’s work also revised a longstanding theory about certain cancer-preventing genes. This theory – called the Knudson’s ‘two-hit’ paradigm – was first formulated in 1971, and it was proposed that these genes must be inactivated permanently in our cells before cancer can arise. The NUS team has now found that methylglyoxal can temporarily inactivate such cancer-preventing genes, suggesting that repeated episodes of poor diet or uncontrolled diabetes can ‘add up’ over time to increase cancer risk. This new knowledge is likely to be influential in changing the direction of future research in this area.The team’s significant findings were published in Cell, which is one of the most influential scientific journals in biomedical research, on 11 April 2024.The next phase of researchBuilding on their novel discoveries, the researchers aim to conduct further studies to understand if metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or poor diets, affect cancer risk in Singapore and other Asian countries.The research team also hopes to identify new mechanisms underlying the connection between metabolism, diet, and cancer that they have discovered, to develop more effective approaches to prevent or delay the onset of cancer.Reference: “A glycolytic metabolite bypasses “two-hit” tumor suppression by BRCA2” by Li Ren Kong, Komal Gupta, Andy Jialun Wu, David Perera, Roland Ivanyi-Nagy, Syed Moiz Ahmed, Tuan Zea Tan, Shawn Lu-Wen Tan, Alessandra Fuddin, Elayanambi Sundaramoorthy, Grace Shiqing Goh, Regina Tong Xin Wong, Ana S.H. Costa, Callum Oddy, Hannan Wong, C. Pawan K. Patro, Yun Suen Kho, Xiao Zi Huang, Joan Choo, Mona Shehata, Soo Chin Lee, Boon Cher Goh, Christian Frezza, Jason J. Pitt and Ashok R. Venkitaraman, 11 April 2024, Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.006

New research has discovered that a chemical associated with unhealthy diets or uncontrolled diabetes may elevate the risk of cancer over time; Emerging evidence reveals...

Pink Cancer Cells

Researchers at the National University of Singapore found that methylglyoxal, linked to poor diet and diabetes, can escalate cancer risk by damaging DNA and affecting genes that prevent cancer, offering new insights for cancer prevention strategies.

New research has discovered that a chemical associated with unhealthy diets or uncontrolled diabetes may elevate the risk of cancer over time; Emerging evidence reveals a new way that tumors could develop.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered new insights that could clarify the link between cancer risk and unhealthy diets, and other common diseases such as diabetes that are related to poor nutrition. The findings are also promising for the development of cancer prevention strategies that promote healthy aging.

Led by Professor Ashok Venkitaraman, this ground-breaking study was conducted by scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at NUS and NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) under the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, with colleagues from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Prof Venkitaraman, Director of CSI Singapore, explained, “Cancer is caused by the interaction between our genes and factors in our environment, such as diet, exercise, and pollution. How such environmental factors increase cancer risk is not yet very clear, but it is vital to understand the connection if we are to take preventive measures that help us stay healthy longer.”

A chemical linked to diabetes, obesity, and poor diet can heighten cancer risk

The research team first studied patients who are at a high risk of developing breast or ovarian cancers because they inherit a faulty copy of the cancer gene – BRCA2 – from their parents. They demonstrated that cells from such patients were particularly sensitive to the effects of methylglyoxal, which is a chemical produced when our cells break down glucose to create energy. The study showed that this chemical can cause faults in our DNA that are early warning signs of cancer development.

The team’s research also suggested that people who do not inherit a faulty copy of BRCA2 but could experience higher-than-normal levels of methylglyoxal – such as patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes, which are connected with obesity or poor diet – can accumulate similar warning signs indicating a higher risk of developing cancer.

Prof Venkitaraman elaborated, “Our research suggests that patients with high methylglyoxal levels may have higher cancer risk. Methylglyoxal can be easily detected by a blood test for HbA1C, which could potentially be used as a marker. Furthermore, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with medicines and a good diet, creating avenues for proactive measures against the initiation of cancer.”

The study’s first author, Dr Li Ren Kong, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow from N2CR, added, “We started the study aiming to understand what factors elevate risk in families susceptible to cancer, but ended up discovering a deeper mechanism linking an essential energy consumption pathway to cancer development. These findings raise awareness of the impact of diet and weight control in the management of cancer risks.”

A novel mechanism for tumor formation

Interestingly, the research team’s work also revised a longstanding theory about certain cancer-preventing genes. This theory – called the Knudson’s ‘two-hit’ paradigm – was first formulated in 1971, and it was proposed that these genes must be inactivated permanently in our cells before cancer can arise. The NUS team has now found that methylglyoxal can temporarily inactivate such cancer-preventing genes, suggesting that repeated episodes of poor diet or uncontrolled diabetes can ‘add up’ over time to increase cancer risk. This new knowledge is likely to be influential in changing the direction of future research in this area.

The team’s significant findings were published in Cell, which is one of the most influential scientific journals in biomedical research, on 11 April 2024.

The next phase of research

Building on their novel discoveries, the researchers aim to conduct further studies to understand if metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or poor diets, affect cancer risk in Singapore and other Asian countries.

The research team also hopes to identify new mechanisms underlying the connection between metabolism, diet, and cancer that they have discovered, to develop more effective approaches to prevent or delay the onset of cancer.

Reference: “A glycolytic metabolite bypasses “two-hit” tumor suppression by BRCA2” by Li Ren Kong, Komal Gupta, Andy Jialun Wu, David Perera, Roland Ivanyi-Nagy, Syed Moiz Ahmed, Tuan Zea Tan, Shawn Lu-Wen Tan, Alessandra Fuddin, Elayanambi Sundaramoorthy, Grace Shiqing Goh, Regina Tong Xin Wong, Ana S.H. Costa, Callum Oddy, Hannan Wong, C. Pawan K. Patro, Yun Suen Kho, Xiao Zi Huang, Joan Choo, Mona Shehata, Soo Chin Lee, Boon Cher Goh, Christian Frezza, Jason J. Pitt and Ashok R. Venkitaraman, 11 April 2024, Cell.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.006

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Unlocking Longevity – New Research Suggests That Aging Could Be Influenced by Random Changes

Aging clocks can accurately determine a person’s biological age, which can differ from their chronological age—the age calculated from their date of birth—due to environmental...

Aging clocks, which measure biological age with precision, can deviate from chronological age due to environmental influences like smoking or diet. Researchers at the University of Cologne found that these clocks actually track increasing random cellular changes, suggesting that biological aging could be influenced by stochastic variations in processes like DNA methylation and gene activity.Aging clocks can accurately determine a person’s biological age, which can differ from their chronological age—the age calculated from their date of birth—due to environmental influences like diet or smoking. The precision of these clocks indicates that the aging process follows a program.Scientists David Meyer and Professor Dr Björn Schumacher at CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases of the University of Cologne, have now discovered that aging clocks actually measure the increase in stochastic changes in cells. The study was recently published published in Nature Aging.“Aging is triggered when the building blocks in our cells become damaged. Where this damage occurs is for the most part random. Our work combines the accuracy of aging clocks with the accumulation of entirely stochastic changes in our cells,” said Professor Schumacher. Less checks, more noiseWith increasing age, controlling the processes that occur in our cells becomes less effective, resulting in more stochastic results. This is particularly evident in the accumulation of stochastic changes in DNA methylation. Methylation refers to the chemical changes that affect DNA, the genome’s building blocks. These methylation processes are strictly regulated within the body. However, during the course of one’s life, random changes occur in the methylation patterns. The accumulation of variation is a highly accurate indicator of a person’s age.The loss of control over the cells and the increase in stochastic variation are not restricted to DNA methylation. Meyer and Schumacher demonstrate that the increase in stochastic variations also in gene activity can be used as an aging clock. “In principle it would be feasible to take this even further, allowing the stochastic variations in any process in the cell to predict age,” Schumacher said. According to the authors, it is above all crucial to ascertain if such aging clocks can show the success of interventions that slow the aging process or harmful factors that accelerate aging.Using the available datasets, the scientists showed that smoking increases the random changes in humans and that ‘anti-aging’ interventions such as lower calorie intake in mice reduce the variation in methylation patterns. They also showed that the stochastic noise is even reversible by means of reprogramming body cells to stem cells. The scientists compared human fibroblasts from the skin that were reprogrammed into stem cells and as a result of the reprogramming are rejuvenating. The high variation indicative of the age of the body cells was indeed reversed to the low stochastic noise of young stem cells.Meyer and Schumacher hope that their findings on the loss of regulation and the accumulating stochastic variations will lead to new interventions that can tackle the root cause of aging and may even lead to cellular rejuvenation. A target for such interventions could be repairing stochastic changes in DNA or improved control of gene expression.Reference: “Aging clocks based on accumulating stochastic variation” by David H. Meyer, and Björn Schumacher, 9 May 2024, Nature Aging.DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00619-x

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What will the EPA’s new regulations for “forever chemicals” in drinking water mean for Pennsylvania?

PITTSBURGH — Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first federal regulations for “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, are linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver and thyroid problems, reproductive problems, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, low birthweight and increased risk of birth defects, among other health effects. There are nearly 15,000 different PFAS and evidence of the chemicals has been found in everything from carpets and cookware to food wrappers, makeup and bandaids. PFAS don’t break down naturally and have been detected in drinking water at more than 5,000 sites in all 50 states. The new regulations, among the most protective health limits on PFAS in drinking water in the world, will go into effect on June 25 and set limits for six common PFAS — PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and GenX. Many researchers who study these chemicals have called on regulators to restrict these chemicals as a class rather than individually. But because the chemicals build up in our bodies over time, any reduction in exposure is likely to be beneficial for health. “This is the first time the EPA has issued a rule on water contaminants in 28 years. So this is significant,” Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit environmental health advocacy group based in western Pennsylvania, told EHN. Eleven states, including Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin have already adopted their own limits on PFAS in drinking water. The EPA’s new limits are stricter than any existing limits, so states are preparing to meet the new EPA standards. “PFAS exposures are toxic even at low concentrations,” Naccarati-Chapkis said. “We didn’t think Pennsylvania’s state regulations went far enough, so we’re glad these new federal rules will better protect residents across the Commonwealth.” What are the new limits and how will they protect our health?The EPA’s new PFAS limits are 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for GenX, PFNA and PFHxS, all of which are newer PFAS that have been less extensively studied than PFOA and PFOS. The regulations also create a “hazard index” to address combined risks from mixtures of chemicals. For PFNA, GenX, PFHxS and PFBS, water system operators will determine if the combined levels of two or more in drinking water pose a potential risk and require action. The regulations also consider the levels of PFAS that can be detected by laboratories and the cost and feasibility of removing them. The EPA set “Maximum Contaminant Level Goals” for some PFAS, which represent the limit at which the agency has determined that no adverse health effects would occur. Whenever the EPA has identified a cancer risk associated with a pollutant, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal is set to zero, which the agency has applied to PFOA and PFOS. While the Maximum Contaminant Levels of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX are enforceable, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals are aspirational. “Setting those goals to zero is an acknowledgement that there’s basically no safe level of exposure to these chemicals,” Carla Ng, an associate professor and PFAS researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, told EHN. The Biden administration expects the new regulations to “protect 100 million people from PFAS exposure, prevent tens of thousands of serious illnesses and save lives.” Additionally, the EPA recently classified PFOA and PFOS, two of the most common PFAS, as “hazardous substances” under the federal Superfund act, which gives the EPA the authority to clean up PFAS contamination and to recover the cost of these cleanups from polluters. “I think these two pieces are one two-punch,” Ng said. “With both, now we’ll have a way to clean up not only water, but also other mediums like soil. That’s important because PFAS exposure also happens through things like indoor air and contaminated food, and this will allow us to start addressing those exposures too.”What will this mean for Pennsylvania?One in three Pennsylvania drinking water systems had detectable levels of PFAS as of 2021. Additionally, PFAS have been detected in 76% of sampled rivers and streams throughout the state, many of which are used for drinking water.In January 2023, six years after initially pledging to regulate the chemicals, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection passed limits of 14 ppt for PFOA and 18 ppt PFOS in drinking water. Now, those limits must be tightened. “Pennsylvania is already working to revise its regulations to align with the federal rulemaking in places where the state rule is less stringent,” PA DEP spokesperson Neil Shader told EHN. Pennsylvania’s regulations need to be updated within two years of the start date for the new federal rules. The agency plans to help water authorities address any challenges and secure funding.“DEP will take every step to ensure water authorities in the Commonwealth can meet state and federal limits for PFAS – including increased training and to help local operators understand the new federal rule,” Shader said. “Additionally, [the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority] has been able to fund 100% of all requests for the construction and installation of treatment facilities to date and has the financial capacity to address any additional requests for the foreseeable future.”The EPA also offers assistance programs for water authorities that need help implementing monitoring and treatment of contaminants like PFAS. The Biden’s administration dedicated $9 billion in funding to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water through the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed IN 2021, commonly known as theBipartisan Infrastructure Law. “Pennsylvania is already working to revise its regulations to align with the federal rulemaking in places where the state rule is less stringent." - Neil Shader, PA DEP spokesperson The new regulations do not apply to the approximately 2.5 million Pennsylvania residents whose water comes from private wells.“DEP recommends private residents who choose to test their water use a state-certified laboratory using EPA-approved testing methods,” Shader said, noting that the agency offers a list of accredited laboratories online.Ng said more resources are needed to help private well owners. “That has always been a big blind spot in Pennsylvania,” she said. “There’s very little protection for people with private wells, and we really need funds to help them do testing and treatment for PFAS and other contaminants as well.”For some water authorities, including the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to more than 500,000 people, the new rules won’t require many changes.“We always try to be proactive about looking at emerging contaminants,” Frank Sidari, chief environmental compliance and ethics officer at the Pittsburgh Sewer and Water Authority (PWSA), told EHN. “We’ve been monitoring for PFAS since 2014, so it won’t be too difficult for us to prepare for the new federal regulations.”So far, Sidari said, the municipal authority’s monitoring hasn’t detected levels of PFAS high enough to prompt removal of the contaminants. “We always try to be proactive about looking at emerging contaminants. We’ve been monitoring for PFAS since 2014, so it won’t be too difficult for us to prepare for the new federal regulations.” - Frank Sidari, Pittsburgh Sewer and Water AuthorityAt some smaller water authorities, the new regulations will require a bigger lift. The Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority, which serves around 40,000 people in western Pennsylvania, began some voluntary monitoring for a list of 29 PFAS in both drinking water and source water in 2023 in anticipation of new EPA monitoring requirements, but the process is still new.“This is an extremely complex group of contaminants,” Lou Ammon, manager of purification at the Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority, told EHN. “We have not received any resources to date and do not expect to receive any resources for our continued enhanced monitoring.”While the state’s environmental agency said resources are available for water authorities that reach out to and request help removing PFAS, both Ammon and Sidari said they hadn’t received any outreach from state regulators advertising or offering resources to help with PFAS monitoring or removal.To date, Ammon said, the Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority hasn’t detected PFAS high enough to prompt new treatments, but “if we ever have to treat/remove PFAS from our water during treatment, I have not been informed of what resources we should expect to receive at that time.”“What I really think we need are regulations and remediation funding sources from businesses and corporations that have profited directly from the manufacture and use of these compounds,” Ammon said.As of April 2024, attorney generals in 30 states, including Pennsylvania, have initiated lawsuits against manufacturers of PFAS for contaminating water supplies, according to Safer States, a national coalition of environmental health organizations. “What I really think we need are regulations and remediation funding sources from businesses and corporations that have profited directly from the manufacture and use of these compounds.” - Lou Ammon, Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water AuthorityAmmon also called for regulation of PFAS in consumer products. Some states have begun banning PFAS in consumer products, but Pennsylvania has not.“Every day that these direct consumer contamination sources are unregulated is a day that these compounds can be affecting the public’s health or contaminating source water,” Ammon said, “[and] that will ultimately need to be treated and paid for by water treatment plant rate-payers and in federal/state tax dollars, paid by the public.”

PITTSBURGH — Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first federal regulations for “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, are linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver and thyroid problems, reproductive problems, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, low birthweight and increased risk of birth defects, among other health effects. There are nearly 15,000 different PFAS and evidence of the chemicals has been found in everything from carpets and cookware to food wrappers, makeup and bandaids. PFAS don’t break down naturally and have been detected in drinking water at more than 5,000 sites in all 50 states. The new regulations, among the most protective health limits on PFAS in drinking water in the world, will go into effect on June 25 and set limits for six common PFAS — PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS and GenX. Many researchers who study these chemicals have called on regulators to restrict these chemicals as a class rather than individually. But because the chemicals build up in our bodies over time, any reduction in exposure is likely to be beneficial for health. “This is the first time the EPA has issued a rule on water contaminants in 28 years. So this is significant,” Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit environmental health advocacy group based in western Pennsylvania, told EHN. Eleven states, including Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin have already adopted their own limits on PFAS in drinking water. The EPA’s new limits are stricter than any existing limits, so states are preparing to meet the new EPA standards. “PFAS exposures are toxic even at low concentrations,” Naccarati-Chapkis said. “We didn’t think Pennsylvania’s state regulations went far enough, so we’re glad these new federal rules will better protect residents across the Commonwealth.” What are the new limits and how will they protect our health?The EPA’s new PFAS limits are 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for GenX, PFNA and PFHxS, all of which are newer PFAS that have been less extensively studied than PFOA and PFOS. The regulations also create a “hazard index” to address combined risks from mixtures of chemicals. For PFNA, GenX, PFHxS and PFBS, water system operators will determine if the combined levels of two or more in drinking water pose a potential risk and require action. The regulations also consider the levels of PFAS that can be detected by laboratories and the cost and feasibility of removing them. The EPA set “Maximum Contaminant Level Goals” for some PFAS, which represent the limit at which the agency has determined that no adverse health effects would occur. Whenever the EPA has identified a cancer risk associated with a pollutant, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal is set to zero, which the agency has applied to PFOA and PFOS. While the Maximum Contaminant Levels of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX are enforceable, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals are aspirational. “Setting those goals to zero is an acknowledgement that there’s basically no safe level of exposure to these chemicals,” Carla Ng, an associate professor and PFAS researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, told EHN. The Biden administration expects the new regulations to “protect 100 million people from PFAS exposure, prevent tens of thousands of serious illnesses and save lives.” Additionally, the EPA recently classified PFOA and PFOS, two of the most common PFAS, as “hazardous substances” under the federal Superfund act, which gives the EPA the authority to clean up PFAS contamination and to recover the cost of these cleanups from polluters. “I think these two pieces are one two-punch,” Ng said. “With both, now we’ll have a way to clean up not only water, but also other mediums like soil. That’s important because PFAS exposure also happens through things like indoor air and contaminated food, and this will allow us to start addressing those exposures too.”What will this mean for Pennsylvania?One in three Pennsylvania drinking water systems had detectable levels of PFAS as of 2021. Additionally, PFAS have been detected in 76% of sampled rivers and streams throughout the state, many of which are used for drinking water.In January 2023, six years after initially pledging to regulate the chemicals, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection passed limits of 14 ppt for PFOA and 18 ppt PFOS in drinking water. Now, those limits must be tightened. “Pennsylvania is already working to revise its regulations to align with the federal rulemaking in places where the state rule is less stringent,” PA DEP spokesperson Neil Shader told EHN. Pennsylvania’s regulations need to be updated within two years of the start date for the new federal rules. The agency plans to help water authorities address any challenges and secure funding.“DEP will take every step to ensure water authorities in the Commonwealth can meet state and federal limits for PFAS – including increased training and to help local operators understand the new federal rule,” Shader said. “Additionally, [the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority] has been able to fund 100% of all requests for the construction and installation of treatment facilities to date and has the financial capacity to address any additional requests for the foreseeable future.”The EPA also offers assistance programs for water authorities that need help implementing monitoring and treatment of contaminants like PFAS. The Biden’s administration dedicated $9 billion in funding to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water through the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed IN 2021, commonly known as theBipartisan Infrastructure Law. “Pennsylvania is already working to revise its regulations to align with the federal rulemaking in places where the state rule is less stringent." - Neil Shader, PA DEP spokesperson The new regulations do not apply to the approximately 2.5 million Pennsylvania residents whose water comes from private wells.“DEP recommends private residents who choose to test their water use a state-certified laboratory using EPA-approved testing methods,” Shader said, noting that the agency offers a list of accredited laboratories online.Ng said more resources are needed to help private well owners. “That has always been a big blind spot in Pennsylvania,” she said. “There’s very little protection for people with private wells, and we really need funds to help them do testing and treatment for PFAS and other contaminants as well.”For some water authorities, including the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to more than 500,000 people, the new rules won’t require many changes.“We always try to be proactive about looking at emerging contaminants,” Frank Sidari, chief environmental compliance and ethics officer at the Pittsburgh Sewer and Water Authority (PWSA), told EHN. “We’ve been monitoring for PFAS since 2014, so it won’t be too difficult for us to prepare for the new federal regulations.”So far, Sidari said, the municipal authority’s monitoring hasn’t detected levels of PFAS high enough to prompt removal of the contaminants. “We always try to be proactive about looking at emerging contaminants. We’ve been monitoring for PFAS since 2014, so it won’t be too difficult for us to prepare for the new federal regulations.” - Frank Sidari, Pittsburgh Sewer and Water AuthorityAt some smaller water authorities, the new regulations will require a bigger lift. The Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority, which serves around 40,000 people in western Pennsylvania, began some voluntary monitoring for a list of 29 PFAS in both drinking water and source water in 2023 in anticipation of new EPA monitoring requirements, but the process is still new.“This is an extremely complex group of contaminants,” Lou Ammon, manager of purification at the Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority, told EHN. “We have not received any resources to date and do not expect to receive any resources for our continued enhanced monitoring.”While the state’s environmental agency said resources are available for water authorities that reach out to and request help removing PFAS, both Ammon and Sidari said they hadn’t received any outreach from state regulators advertising or offering resources to help with PFAS monitoring or removal.To date, Ammon said, the Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority hasn’t detected PFAS high enough to prompt new treatments, but “if we ever have to treat/remove PFAS from our water during treatment, I have not been informed of what resources we should expect to receive at that time.”“What I really think we need are regulations and remediation funding sources from businesses and corporations that have profited directly from the manufacture and use of these compounds,” Ammon said.As of April 2024, attorney generals in 30 states, including Pennsylvania, have initiated lawsuits against manufacturers of PFAS for contaminating water supplies, according to Safer States, a national coalition of environmental health organizations. “What I really think we need are regulations and remediation funding sources from businesses and corporations that have profited directly from the manufacture and use of these compounds.” - Lou Ammon, Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water AuthorityAmmon also called for regulation of PFAS in consumer products. Some states have begun banning PFAS in consumer products, but Pennsylvania has not.“Every day that these direct consumer contamination sources are unregulated is a day that these compounds can be affecting the public’s health or contaminating source water,” Ammon said, “[and] that will ultimately need to be treated and paid for by water treatment plant rate-payers and in federal/state tax dollars, paid by the public.”

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Quantum Coherence: Harvard Scientists Uncover Hidden Order in Chemical Chaos

If you zoom in on a chemical reaction to the quantum level, you’ll notice that particles behave like waves that can ripple and collide. Scientists...

Harvard scientists have demonstrated that quantum coherence can persist through chemical reactions in ultracold molecules, suggesting broader applications for quantum information science and potentially in more common environmental conditions.If you zoom in on a chemical reaction to the quantum level, you’ll notice that particles behave like waves that can ripple and collide. Scientists have long sought to understand quantum coherence, the ability of particles to maintain phase relationships and exist in multiple states simultaneously; this is akin to all parts of a wave being synchronized. It has been an open question whether quantum coherence can persist through a chemical reaction where bonds dynamically break and form.Now, for the first time, a team of Harvard scientists has demonstrated the survival of quantum coherence in a chemical reaction involving ultracold molecules. These findings highlight the potential of harnessing chemical reactions for future applications in quantum information science.“I am extremely proud of our work investigating a very fundamental property of a chemical reaction where we really didn’t know what the result would be,” said senior co-author Kang-Kuen Ni, Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics. “It was really gratifying to do an experiment to find out what Mother Nature tells us.” Quantum Dynamics ObservedIn the paper, published in Science, the researchers detailed how they studied a specific atom-exchange chemical reaction in an ultra-cold environment involving 40K87Rb bialkali molecules, where two potassium-rubidium (KRb) molecules react to form potassium (K2) and rubidium (Rb2) products. The team prepared the initial nuclear spins in KRb molecules in an entangled state by manipulating magnetic fields and then examined the outcome with specialized tools. In the ultra-cold environment, the Ni Lab was able to track the nuclear spin degrees of freedom and to observe the intricate quantum dynamics underlying the reaction process and outcome.The work was undertaken by several members of Ni’s Lab, including Yi-Xiang Liu, Lingbang Zhu, Jeshurun Luke, J.J. Arfor Houwman, Mark C. Babin, and Ming-Guang Hu.Utilizing laser cooling and magnetic trapping, the team was able to cool their molecules to just a fraction of a degree above Absolute Zero. In this ultracold environment, of just 500 nanoKelvin, molecules slow down, enabling scientists to isolate, manipulate, and detect individual quantum states with remarkable precision. This control facilitates the observation of quantum effects such as superposition, entanglement, and coherence, which play fundamental roles in the behavior of molecules and chemical reactions.By employing sophisticated techniques, including coincidence detection where the researchers can pick out the exact pairs of reaction products from individual reaction events, the researchers were able to map and describe the reaction products with precision. Previously, they observed the partitioning of energy between the rotational and translational motion of the product molecules to be chaotic [Nature 593, 379-384 (2021)]. Therefore, it is surprising to find quantum order in the form of coherence in the same underlying reaction dynamics, this time in the nuclear spin degree of freedom.The results revealed that quantum coherence was preserved within the nuclear spin degree of freedom throughout the reaction. The survival of coherence implied that the product molecules, K2 and Rb2, were in an entangled state, inheriting the entanglement from the reactants. Furthermore, by deliberately inducing decoherence in the reactants, the researchers demonstrated control over the reaction product distribution.Going forward, Ni hopes to rigorously prove that the product molecules were entangled, and she is optimistic that quantum coherence can persist in non-ultracold environments.“We believe the result is general and not necessarily limited to low temperatures and could happen in more warm and wet conditions,” Ni said. “That means there is a mechanism for chemical reactions that we just didn’t know about before.”First co-author and graduate student Lingbang Zhu sees the experiment as an opportunity to expand people’s understanding about chemical reactions in general.“We are probing phenomena that are possibly occurring in nature,” Zhu said. “We can try to broaden our concept to other chemical reactions. Although the electronic structure of KRb might be different, the idea of interference in reactions could be generalized to other chemical systems as well.”Reference: “Precision test of statistical dynamics with state-to-state ultracold chemistry” by Yu Liu, Ming-Guang Hu, Matthew A. Nichols, Dongzheng Yang, Daiqian Xie, Hua Guo and Kang-Kuen Ni, 19 May 2021, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03459-6

Chemicals
Energy
Science

Chemists Chase ‘Clean’ Ammonia to Replace Shipping Fuel

President Biden’s climate law is funding “green ammonia” projects in hopes of using the chemical to more cleanly power the grid, fuel cargo ships and make fertilizer

CLIMATEWIRE | The stinky ammonia under your sink comes from one of the world's dirtiest industries. That might change with the help of President Joe Biden’s climate law.Ammonia production is a carbon-intensive process that uses fossil fuels to make the pungent-smelling chemical, which is often used to make fertilizers. But some companies think it could also as a carbon-free fuel for cargo ships or to generate electricity.Its climate stakes are massive. But so is its potential for clean energy — because it doesn't release any carbon emissions at the point of use.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.A Danish company named Topsoe is planning to build a factory in Virginia that will produce electrolyzers, a device that can make clean hydrogen when powered by solar or wind energy. The electrolyzers will be installed at a new plant in Texas that plans to use the hydrogen to make "green ammonia," which will be sold to a German power company. The Inflation Reduction Act is driving the investments for both facilities by offering billions of dollars through advanced energy programs.Ammonia production accounts for roughly 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That alone could make the greening of ammonia a massive climate prize. But some experts see bigger solutions: In addition to decarbonizing ammonia for fertilizer, it could also be used to nearly eliminate emissions from oceangoing cargo ships and to replace natural gas and coal in electricity generation.“We are seeing remarkable progress on these things,” said Julio Friedmann, an expert on green ammonia and chief scientist at Carbon Direct, which advises companies about reducing their emissions. “Fundamentally, companies and governments are taking this stuff very seriously. It is across the board.”The Inflation Reduction Act, with its $370 billion in climate funding, has put the U.S. on the front lines of cleaning up the ammonia industry. A New York-based startup called First Ammonia initially planned on building its first green ammonia plant in Europe. But it changed course after Russia invaded Ukraine and Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, in 2022.The company settled on Texas for its first facility, thanks to the state's abundance of renewable energy and its industrial infrastructure along the Gulf of Mexico. It's set to break ground at the Port of Victoria later this year on a plant that can produce 300,000 tons of ammonia annually. The company announced a partnership last year to sell ammonia to Uniper, a German power company.The operation has been made possible in large part due to the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits.“It significantly reduces the price point at which we need to sell our ammonia to be able to be productive,” said First Ammonia CEO Joel Moser in an interview. “So it's a huge step.”The company sees maritime shipping and electricity generation as growth markets for ammonia, fueling cargo ships and supplementing wind and solar in the power sector."That's an ideal future, a future where we've electrified all that we can and the things we can't we're using hydrogen application, specifically ammonia," Moser said.Roughly 180 million tons of ammonia is sold globally every year for more than $100 billion. About 70 percent of it is used for fertilizers, according to the International Energy Agency.'A big pivot'Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is historically carbon intensive, and the production of hydrogen is particularly dirty. It relies on using natural gas or coal and accounts for more than 90 percent of the emissions associated with ammonia production, according to a 2022 paper by the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum. By the IEA's estimate, ammonia production is about two times as emission intensive as producing crude steel.Green hydrogen has emerged as a key to cleaning up ammonia. Electricity is used to split a water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen. If wind or solar technologies are used to supply that power, it is considered "green" hydrogen. It has a variety of potential uses, but ammonia production is among the most promising. The consulting firm Wood Mackenzie estimates that roughly 39 percent of announced green hydrogen projects globally would be used to make ammonia, though the firm thinks many of those projects won't be built.That is where Topsoe, the Danish industrial company, comes in. While not a household name in the U.S., Topsoe is a major player in the chemical industry. The company estimates that a third of global ammonia is made using its technologies. Nearly all of that was traditionally done by using fossil fuels.But the company is starting to pivot. Armed with a $136 million Inflation Reduction Act tax credit from the Energy Department, Topsoe is planning to build a $400 million electrolyzer factory in Chesterfield, Virginia. Its plans are subject to completing a DOE certification process that can take up to two years. First Ammonia is the company’s first customer.The move to build electrolyzers is a part of a wider shift for Topsoe. Cleaner technologies like biodiesel now account for about a fifth of its revenue, up from nothing four years ago, said Topsoe CEO Roeland Baan. The company is also building a second electrolyzer facility in Denmark.“We have this enormous portfolio of products and technologies that are useful for the energy transition, and so we decided to make a big pivot,” Baan said in an interview. “And we set our vision to be recognized as a leader in decarbonization technologies.”All-purpose ammoniaGreen ammonia producers have several factors working in their favor. A global network of ports, ships and pipelines already exist to ship ammonia. The gas is considered a clean fuel because it lacks carbon molecules.Japan has committed to using green ammonia to help decarbonize its power sector by co-blending it with coal. The government hopes to reach 100 percent ammonia electricity generation by midcentury. The move has encountered resistance from environmental groups, which say using ammonia could extend the life of coal plants.An even bigger prize may be the marine shipping industry, which releases 2 percent of global emissions. Shipping companies are experimenting with new vessels that burn a blend of diesel and ammonia. Maersk, the international shipping giant, recently ordered four ammonia-fueled vessels with the potential to buy six more. Trafigura, another large shipper, recently ordered six ships.But hurdles remain. Ammonia has a high ignition temperature; that's one reason it is often blended with another fuel. It is also corrosive. Green ammonia remains more expensive to produce than its fossil fuel-made counterparts. And while burning ammonia doesn’t emit carbon dioxide, controls are needed to curtail emissions of another air pollutant, nitrogen oxide.Current and former Biden administration officials said the tax credits awarded to Topsoe reflect a shift in the government’s approach on those issues. DOE has long supported early stage technological research. But the department under Biden is providing additional assistance to companies that are trying to make the jump from the laboratory to the marketplace.Topsoe was one of 35 projects that received $1.93 billion in tax credits under DOE’s Advanced Energy Project Credit. The credits are part of a multifaceted approach, said Costa Samaras, a former Biden administration official who now leads the Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University.The credits to Topsoe are aimed at reducing the price of building a manufacturing facility, like the company’s electrolyzer plant. Other sources of Inflation Reduction Act money are available to companies like First Ammonia through the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, to help stimulate demand for climate-friendly products.“We're now on this glide path to net-zero in 25 ½ years," Samaras said. “So we need the types of clean manufacturing supply chain to deliver the speed and scale of clean equipment, so that we're realizing the emissions reductions within the time frame that we have.”Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

Chemicals
Climate
Energy

Toxic Downpour: “Forever Chemicals” Rain on All Five Great Lakes

A study on PFAS in the Great Lakes shows uniform pollution levels from precipitation and differing rates of chemical removal across the lakes, emphasizing the...

Research on PFAS in the Great Lakes reveals consistent concentrations from precipitation across all lakes, with variable removal rates influencing their persistence. These findings come amid regulatory changes by the EPA classifying certain PFAS as hazardous substances, highlighting the importance of the Great Lakes as a freshwater source and underscoring the need for continued monitoring and regulation to mitigate pollution.A study on PFAS in the Great Lakes shows uniform pollution levels from precipitation and differing rates of chemical removal across the lakes, emphasizing the need for enhanced regulatory measures.Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” are enduring environmental contaminants found in air, water, and soil. Their chemical stability allows them to circulate through the water cycle, infiltrating sources of drinking water and precipitation. Research reported in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology indicates that precipitation deposits roughly equal quantities of PFAS into each of the Great Lakes; however, the lakes eliminate the chemicals at different rates.Consuming PFAS has been linked to negative health outcomes. And in April 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated two forever chemicals — PFOS and PFOA — as hazardous substances, placing limits on their concentrations in drinking water. The Great Lakes are a major freshwater source for both the U.S. and Canada, and the EPA reports that the surrounding basin area is home to roughly 10% and 30% of each country’s population, respectively. Previous studies demonstrated that these lakes contain PFAS. But Marta Venier at Indiana University and colleagues from the U.S. and Canada wanted to understand where the compounds come from and where they go.Research Methodology and FindingsBetween 2021 and 2022, 207 precipitation samples and 60 air samples were taken from five sites surrounding the Great Lakes in the U.S.: Chicago; Cleveland; Sturgeon Point, N.Y.; Eagle Harbor, Mich.; and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mich. During the same period, 87 different water samples were collected from the five Great Lakes. The team analyzed all the samples for 41 types of PFAS and found: In precipitation samples, PFAS concentrations largely remained the same across sites, suggesting that the compounds are present at similar levels regardless of population density.In air samples, Cleveland had the highest median concentration of PFAS and Sleeping Bear Dunes the lowest, suggesting a strong connection between population density and airborne PFAS.In the lake water samples, the highest concentration of PFAS were in Lake Ontario, followed by Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior.The concentration of PFOS and PFOA in lake water decreased compared to data from previous studies as far back as 2005, but the concentration of a replacement PFAS known as PFBA remained high, suggesting that further regulation efforts may be needed.The team calculated that airborne deposition from precipitation is primarily how PFAS get into the lakes, while they’re removed by sedimentation, attaching to particles as they settle to the lakebed or flowing out through connecting channels. Overall, their calculations showed that the northernmost lakes (Superior, Michigan, and Huron) are generally accumulating PFAS. Further south, Lake Ontario is generally eliminating the compounds, and levels in Lake Erie remain at a steady state. The researchers say that this work could help inform future actions and policies aimed at mitigating PFAS’ presence in the Great Lakes.Reference: “The Ins and Outs of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Great Lakes: The Role of Atmospheric Deposition” by Chunjie Xia, Staci L. Capozzi, Kevin A. Romanak, Daniel C. Lehman, Alice Dove, Violeta Richardson, Tracie Greenberg, Daryl McGoldrick and Marta Venier, 16 May 2024, Environmental Science & Technology.DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10098The authors acknowledge funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office.

Chemicals
Pollution
Science

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