By Prasa Thapa.
On a Sunday morning, as I flipped eggs in my non-stick Cuisinart pan, I recalled an article I had read the previous week about the “forever chemicals” and its presence in the non-stick cookware. This sparked a curiosity about the items I won that might have forever chemicals and I couldn’t resist myself as I started looking for articles as I had my breakfast.
Forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic compounds known for their exceptional durability and resistance to degradation. These substances are present in most household items like-cleaning products, shampoos, cosmetics, nail polish, paints, fast-food wrappers, non-stick cookware, water resistance clothing, candy wrappers and even water. These synthetic chemicals do not break down naturally or easily in the environment and are known to accumulate in the human body, hence, they are known as forever chemicals.
In the US, approximately, 98% of the people have PFAS in their bodies. PFAS contamination have been detected in coastal waters, rivers and lakes, including drinking water supplies, which is a significant public health risk. Research also shows that people who consume high amounts of white rice, coffee, milk and seafood have been associated with higher level of toxic chemicals in their blood. In recent research done at WVU, several forever chemical hotspots were identified where “socioeconomic attributes like housing density, income and raw water intake sources” determined the level of PFAS. Communities that have manufacturing industries and the communities that use aquifers rather than natural source for water had higher levels of these chemicals. The identified hot spots were different counties in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, border of North Carolina and South Carolina, and Colorado.
A study predicted that the tap water in half of the states in the US are contaminated with at least one PFAS. EPA states that “There is no safe level of exposure to PFAS without health impacts.” The exposure to these chemicals is linked to wide range of health issues, including cancer, high-blood pressure, reproductive defects, thyroid, liver disease, compromised immune system etc. To lower the exposure, one can take steps for themselves. Filtering drinking water, avoiding food in paper/plastic containers, avoiding Teflon cookware and even limiting the consumption of fish from local freshwater could be few steps to minimize the exposure.
As the awareness regarding the risks of forever chemicals grow, there have been efforts to regulate and mitigate the use and impact of forever chemicals. Government, different organizations, stakeholder, researchers and public health department are working to understand the full extent of these chemicals, their alternative as well as safe disposal. However, the fight against these chemicals is ongoing and hopefully, there is a future where these persistent chemicals