When I was in elementary school, we would go to my Bubbie’s house most weekends. Often, she would end up cooking something. Like most people, my Bubbie had nonstick pans that she would use wherever she cooked, but this always made my mom angry. One day, my mom went so far as to throw out my Bubbie’s nonstick pans and get her new ones. It turns out this was for a good reason.
According to TIME, nonstick pans are just one of the many household products that contain PFAS. From soft contact lenses to furniture, clothes, food containers, makeup, and even your phone screen, PFAS have been found in countless daily items – even menstrual products, beauty products, and wall paint. PFAS are everywhere and are a huge problem. A problem that demands attention from governments around the world.
PFAS is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and is described by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as “a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s.” While PFAS may not seem like a big deal, they state that PFAS are also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they can survive in our bodies and the environment for years. This is because they have tight chemical bonds between fluorine and carbon atoms. In fact, this bond is what makes them extremely useful in many household products. PFAS can resist a fair amount of heat and prevent water seepage. However, despite their useful nature, they have also been linked to a variety of health issues and are bad for the environment.
For one, the European Environment Agency states that there is a strong correlation between PFAS exposure and thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage, Kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. Likewise, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) states that PFAS exposure in humans can lead to a weakened immune system and changes in weight management and metabolism. Furthermore, PFAS can even affect unborn children, causing lower birth weight, decreased vaccine responsiveness, and late development of the mammary gland. Unfortunately, since PFAS chemicals have so many variations, they are extremely hard to study, so scientists and medical experts have much more to discover about their effects on humans. Nevertheless, it is clear that there is a correlation between PFAS exposure and health problems in humans. Thus, it is vital that governments take action to regulate the presence of PFAS in our daily lives. Moreover, PFAS chemicals are called ‘forever chemicals’ for a reason; once they are out in the world, they are essentially there to stay.
Similarly, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources states that PFAS can contaminate surface waters, like rivers and lakes, as well as groundwater. PFAS can also contaminate soil and can be released into the air as fine particles or vapors; they can even build up in animals that are exposed to pollution. This contamination is also another source of human exposure to PFAS. According to TIME, when consumed, “…could be the equivalent of a month’s worth of drinking water contaminated with PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) an especially toxic form of PFAS—at above the level of 0.02 parts per trillion (ppt), which is what the EPA has established as a safe threshold for PFOS.” Moreover, water sources that are used for drinking water can be contaminated with PFAS. Even direct exposure to soil containing PFAS is a risk.
Unfortunately, according to Stanford Medicine, while a person can make small changes to their life to limit their exposure, ultimately, federal regulations and policies are going to make the most difference. Scott Belcher, an associate professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University, said to TIME in an article, “Every raindrop has PFAS in it.” Every single raindrop has chemicals that last for extremely long periods of time and cause serious health problems. If that doesn’t say immediate regulatory action is needed from the government in response to PFAS, I don’t know what does.
