How Worried Should We Be About ‘Forever Chemicals’?
Reading Time: 4 minutes‘Forever Chemicals’ Are in So Many Things. Is There Anything You Can Do About It?, PFAS are in … so many things. Here are a few things to keep in mind., PFAS: Forever chemicals are in zippers now. What can we do about that?
This is Explainer, a column that answers questions we all have (or should have).
Recently Bloomberg News reported that YKK, a leading global supplier of zippers, had found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the paint used on some of its products. The zippers join a long list of products that can contain PFAS, including nonstick pans, dental floss, waterproof fabric, and even diapers. Exposure to PFAS has been associated with various cancers, elevated cholesterol levels, liver damage, immune system interference, lower baby birth weight, and more.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances are just that—substances, plural. ‘You can think of it as a big family tree, with many different members,’ explains Laurel Schaider, a senior scientist at the Silent Spring Institute. There are more than 16,000 different types of PFAS.
But what unites all the different molecules is their unique chemical structure, specifically the presence of the elements carbon and fluorine. All PFAS have carbon-fluorine bonds, which are some of the strongest in organic chemistry. They are extremely useful in consumer products, with the ability to create surfaces that are nonstick, stain-resistant, or water-repellent. If you have goods that have any of those qualities, there’s a good chance it’s thanks to PFAS.
Because of the strong bonds in PFAS, they stick around a long time. ‘That’s why they’re called ‘forever chemicals,’ because they don’t break down well in the environment or in people,’ says Wendy Heiger-Bernays, a professor of environmental health at Boston University’s School of Public Health. It’s useful to have the paint on the zipper of your favorite jacket stick around forever, through many seasons of rain or shine. But when chemicals that don’t break down stick around and get into your body—that can be bad.
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed legally enforceable limits for six PFAS found in water. (Yes, they can be found in water—more on that shortly.) Some companies have pledged to stop using the compounds in their products. Which raises the question: Should you be de-PFAS-ing your life right now?
Given the pervasiveness of PFAS, many consumers are understandably concerned about the impact on human health. But it’s important to note that most of the scary outcomes require high levels of PFAS exposure. A YKK zipper alone isn’t going to hurt you. But existing in a world full of PFAS might.
Consumer products are, unfortunately, not the only places they’re found. Industrial sites are prime areas, explains Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, the director of environmental health and water quality at RTI International. Chemicals from factories and manufacturing centers can be released and contaminate the air, the soil, surface water, groundwater, and crops. Many military bases and airports use firefighting foam that is rife with PFAS. In the agriculture sector, biosolids might be contaminated with PFAS on farm fields. And after we use PFAS-containing products, we often throw them away; from the landfill, they can leach into soil or groundwater and could then make it into the water you drink or food you eat. Potable water in general is also a major source of PFAS, says Jamie DeWitt, the director of Oregon State University’s Environmental Health Science Research Center.
As with any other kind of chemical, the dose makes the poison. ‘In general, central tenets of risk assessment are that the increased frequency of exposure and increased duration of exposure and concentration of that exposure increases the likelihood of non-carcinogenic health effects or cancer,’ explains Hoponick Redmon. That is: Constantly drinking water contaminated with PFAS may be worse for your health than putting on a raincoat every once in a while that contains PFAS. (Transdermal exposure is a thing, but it’s not as if you’re ingesting your raincoat.)
Industrial sources of PFAS that leach PFAS into the environment are really the main areas of concern—and being super, super worried about the PFAS in the things you buy won’t make the PFAS issue go away. That said, cutting down on PFAS in your own life is a good thing (both for you and for keeping PFAS out of landfills). And there are simple things that anyone can do to mediate exposure.
DeWitt recommends looking into the origins of your water to see whether or not there’s potential PFAS contamination. ‘One of the best things people can do is find out where their water comes from and find out if they have PFAS in their water and if so, what’s being done by utilities to reduce PFAS levels in their water,’ DeWitt says, pointing to the Environmental Working Group’s tap water database as a helpful resource. And although you can’t necessarily change your water supply, you can get a water filter to remove the PFAS.
Hoponick Redmon suggests avoiding a common source of PFAS altogether by giving up microwave popcorn. The insides of the bags are coated in PFAS. Eating Pop Secret once a year won’t hurt. ‘But if you’re somebody who gives it to your kid to microwave every week when they’re at middle school having a snack, that could be a significant exposure,’ she says. ‘Use a stove or get it pre-popped.’
One thing that makes cutting down on PFAS difficult is that there’s no requirement for companies to disclose that they are using PFAS. If a product advertises itself as nonstick, water-repellent, or stain-repellent, Hoponick Redmon says, there’s a good chance it has PFAS. Some PFAS-containing products—like raincoats!—might be necessary. But if there are products that you don’t really need, it can make sense to choose something else (like furniture that isn’t advertised as stain-resistant).
As for the PFAS-containing products you may already own? No need to do a huge purge—even when it comes to PFAS found in your kitchen.
‘If you already have a pan and you’re not overheating it and the coating isn’t scraping off, it’s unlikely to be a big source of exposure to you right now,’ Schaider advises. ‘But I definitely wouldn’t buy more of them.’
Ref: slate
MediaDownloader.net -> Free Online Video Downloader, Download Any Video From YouTube, VK, Vimeo, Twitter, Twitch, Tumblr, Tiktok, Telegram, TED, Streamable, Soundcloud, Snapchat, Share, Rumble, Reddit, PuhuTV, Pinterest, Periscope, Ok.ru, MxTakatak, Mixcloud, Mashable, LinkedIn, Likee, Kwai, Izlesene, Instagram, Imgur, IMDB, Ifunny, Gaana, Flickr, Febspot, Facebook, ESPN, Douyin, Dailymotion, Buzzfeed, BluTV, Blogger, Bitchute, Bilibili, Bandcamp, Akıllı, 9GAG