PFAS Contamination: What is PFAS?
PFAS or “Forever Chemicals” have been all over the news last month thanks to a newly released study sharing the widespread contamination of our drinking water resources. You may be asking, what does this mean for our health, or why isn’t the government doing anything? In the first of our two-part blog series, we’ll be diving in on what PFAS are, their health impacts, and what we can do to combat the widespread contamination. So first…
What Are PFAS? Per-and-Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a family of toxic, synthetic chemicals used in various industries since the 1940s. PFAS have properties that make them resistant to water, oil, and heat, making them valuable in producing cookware, clothing, furniture, chrome plating, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, cosmetics, firefighting foams, and cleaners. PFAS is a hazardous chemical due to its persistence in the environment and our bodies. They bioaccumulate and do not break down easily. Instead, they become smaller-chain PFAS chemicals. This is why they are referred to as “forever chemicals.”
How may I be exposed? 
PFAS-contaminated drinking water can be a primary source of exposure, but PFAS may be found in a variety of everyday items. They are deeply embedded in our lives and our economy and may be introduced into the environment and our bodies through the manufacturing, use, and decay of consumer goods.
The amount of PFAS found in our bodies is heavily influenced by our livelihoods, lifestyles, diet, and use of products containing PFAS (Calafet et al. 2007). Occupational exposure is higher for individuals working with chrome plating, certain electronics, manufacturing, and oil recovery. Additionally, a Rutgers study found that firefighters and volunteer firefighters, can have higher levels of PFAS in their blood compared to other occupations due to PFAS being an active ingredient in firefighting foam.
Health professionals and advocates discuss 'social determinants of health'- how our environment, both the natural and the built environment, affects our health. Among these are housing, occupational setting, healthcare, and access to healthy environments. Unfortunately, as with many environmental disparities, high levels of PFAS contamination are found in communities affected by social determinants, amplifying existing health disparities and adding to the health burdens frontline communities experience daily.
What are the health impacts? While the recent study provides an overview of PFAS in U.S. drinking water, it does not mention the health implications that may be occurring in local communities. PFAS adversely affects the reproductive, respiratory, and immune systems and increases the risk of certain cancers. In addition, PFAS bioaccumulates in the body, increasing their concentration over time. When they enter the body, they can remain relatively unchanged for long periods before exiting. PFOA and PFOS can stay in the body for years; it takes nearly four years for PFOA and PFOS levels to go down by half.
Health findings on PFOA and PFOS are generally considered the same for other PFAS chemicals until more information becomes available. However, at this time, no studies are showing a direct link between PFOA exposure and cancer. However, PFOA studies have found connections to liver, kidney, and immunological effects and tumors, as well as increased cholesterol levels and risk of testicular, kidney, and thyroid cancers. Studies also suggest a possible link to prostate, bladder, and ovarian cancer.
There is considerable concern about PFAS exposure in pregnant individuals and children. PFAS studies have indicated that exposure can cause reproductive and developmental effects, such as low birth weights. It may also disrupt thyroid hormone production, a vital and delicate process during pregnancy. Young children also have a higher risk of exposure to PFAS from contaminated breastmilk, water-based formula, carpet dust, and certain cleaning products.
What’s Being Done to Protect Public Health? 
The development of a Public Health Goal (PHG) and an MCL in drinking water is critical for protecting public health. A PHG establishes the concentration at which a contaminant will provide no health impacts. In contrast, MCLs are set at levels that protect public health based on the best available technology and take into account the cost of implementing the treatments. Even though there are over 9,000 PFAS chemicals, only two of them have been extensively studied. PFOA and PFOS are the only ones for which federal standards, known as a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), are being established. In the absence of federal standards addressing more than two types of PFAS chemicals, we will only be tackling a fraction of the entire issue.
This is why PSR-LA is calling for state officials to declare the PFAS contamination a public health emergency. With so many public health concerns tied to PFAS, it's irresponsible that the issue is not being treated as one. Action delayed comes at the cost of public health and frontline communities.
What’s NextNow that we touched on the health impacts of PFAS contamination, what does this contamination mean for local communities or our water supply and bills? How can the issue be addressed?
Check out our next blog, PFAS Contamination: The Big Picture, where we dive into those issues and more! In the meantime, here are a few tips on how to cut back on PFAS exposure!
Cut back on fast food: grease-resistant fast food packaging often contains oil-resistant PFAS.
Be wary of packaged food: PFAS exposure depends on the amount of time the food has spent inside a plastic bag or paper wrapper
Avoid nonstick cookware: often coated in a material with PFA
Store leftovers in glass containers
Drink filtered water: Check the results of water testings where you live and consider a carbon filter water pitcher or faucets to help reduce PFAS levels
Due to its widespread presence in our lives, Consumer Notice recently created a guide to PFAS to help educate others on the risks, where they can be found, and more. Please take a look:
https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/water-contamination/pfas/
https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/water-contamination/pfas/products/
