Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are manmade chemicals that were originally used in the Manhattan Project to produce the world’s first atomic bomb. They have since been used to manufacture a myriad of consumer goods.
The chemicals and their potential dangers rose to national attention in the early 2000s when scientist Kris Hansen, then at the 3M corporation, discovered the chemicals in the blood of 3M workers and then the general American population. In time, these chemicals were also discovered in the blood of animals and people in other countries. Through a series of tests, for which Hansen was heavily scrutinized inside the corporation, she eventually discovered that the wide-reaching contamination began, according to an article in ProPublica, “after the company started selling products that contained them.”
Deemed “forever chemicals” because they are virtually indestructible, PFAS have pervaded all known substances—including our water, our soil, our food, and even our own bodies. Since these chemicals are toxic at extremely low levels (measured in parts per quadrillion), the nearly inescapable forever chemicals pose a significant threat to communities across the globe.
The forever chemicals represent a large number of substances. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “PFAS are a group of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals.” However, the National Institute of Standards and Technology acknowledges that “scientists can only reliably identify the chemical structures of a few hundred of them.”
Since PFAS are toxic at extremely low levels…the nearly inescapable forever chemicals pose a significant threat to communities across the globe.PFAS can resist water, heat, oil, and staining, so they are used in consumer products like nonstick cookware; some cosmetics; some firefighting foams; products that resist grease, water, and oil; as well as lithium ion batteries, clothing, shoes, and accessories. These chemicals are omnipresent in the manufacturing facilities where such products are made. This not only exposes those workers to high doses of these dangerous chemicals, but the facilities also pollute the air, water, and soil around them. PFAS also make their way into the environment when clothing with PFAS is washed in washing machines and as consumer goods containing the chemicals make it to landfills.
According to Erik D. Olson, senior strategic director of health and food for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), there are three main factors that contribute to the dangers PFAS poses. “First, the structure of PFAS means they resist breakdown in the environment and in our bodies. Second, they move relatively quickly through the environment, making their contamination hard to contain. Third, for some PFAS, even extremely low levels of exposure can negatively impact our health.
The NRDC is clear about the health impacts that can affect humans and animals, including: “cancer (kidney and testicular), hormone disruption, liver and thyroid problems, interference with vaccine effectiveness, reproductive harm, and abnormal fetal development.” The National Cancer Institute has also linked forever chemicals with breast cancer, ovarian and endometrial cancer, prostate and thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and childhood leukemia. The chemicals are especially hazardous for infants and children, whose bodies are still developing.
Alarmingly, there is no way to get rid of PFAS chemicals once they have entered the body. These chemicals only lessen when pregnant women give birth, and that’s only because the mother will have transmitted a significant portion of her PFAS to her baby. Not only are PFAS transmitted from mother to child, but according to an Emory University study, “higher levels of PFAS exposure in the womb is linked with higher rates of preterm and early term birth.”
The Strangest Bedfellows: Healthcare Devices, PPE, and PFAS
PFAS “are used in a wide variety of ways in healthcare settings, such as medical devices, medicines and personal protective equipment.”
According to the American Chemistry Council, PFAS “are used in a wide variety of ways in healthcare settings, such as medical devices, medicines and personal protective equipment.” These chemicals are also used in medical implants and devices, including “catheters that drain fluids collected in the body, stents that hold open coronary arteries, surgical meshes that repair hernias, as well as needles for surgical biopsies to diagnose cancer.”
The American Chemistry Council notes that PFAS are also present in diagnostic tools such as COVID-19 test kits, X-ray film, MRI imaging devices, PET scan machines, and video endoscopes which can be used to find gastrointestinal issues. Some medical treatments also contain PFAS, like pacemakers and defibrillators. Specific components of kidney dialysis machines, like the “filters, tubing, and seals” also use PFAS. The tiny substances are also in several medications, ranging from “cholesterol treatments to antidepressants.”
Within clinical settings, products containing or coated in PFAS, according to the American Chemistry Council, help keep people healthy by treating disease and preventing infection and contamination. When it comes to regulating PFAS, the council is arguing against “heavy-handed measures” that could “send an avoidable shock through the healthcare system.”
Sign up for our free newsletters
Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.
Indestructible toxic chemicals ingrained within essential and lifesaving medical devices, products, and equipment pose a challenge for regulators, who will have to weigh the costs and benefits of their use.
The Fight against Forever Chemicals
Though most of the issues surrounding forever chemicals are chilling, there are at least some signs of progress in recent reforms and legal challenges. Given the attention and concern attributed to PFAS, many companies are now making products without these harmful chemicals.
After thousands of lawsuits, 3M has reached a multibillion-dollar settlement. Contingent upon the amount of contamination found, the 3M corporation will pay between $10.5 billion and $12.5 billion through 2036. While the settlement is significant, it’s important to view the settlement figure within the context of the corporation’s revenue and earnings. Each year, 3M generates tens of billions of dollars in revenue. In 2023 alone, the company’s gross profit topped $14 billion.
Though most of the issues surrounding forever chemicals are chilling, there are at least some signs of progress in recent reforms and legal challenges.
The federal government has taken some action on PFAS. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limited the amount of six PFAS chemicals in drinking water that the agency believes to be linked to human health. However, according to NPR, the EPA’s new rule is currently being challenged by water utilities and chemical companies “that may be directly or indirectly responsible for paying to remove PFAS from tap water.”
The EPA has also tried to block companies from producing the toxic chemicals. However, when the EPA tried to keep a Texas plastics manufacturer from creating PFAS, a federal appeals court said the ban was an overstep of the EPA’s authority.
Even though PFAS are far too ubiquitous to avoid at an individual or family level, there are things people can do to help combat PFAS contamination and its corrosive health impacts. The NRDC urges consumers to check the websites of products to see if they have an announcement regarding their products being PFAS-free or some type of commitment to make their products PFAS-free in the near future. The NRDC also warns about products labeled PFOA- or PFOS-free, as these are only two of thousands of PFAS, which means such items could still be contaminated by harmful chemicals.
Some environmental and scientific organizations are helping to conduct crucial research on the impact of PFAS. The Silent Spring Institute, an organization focused on the environment and women’s health, is “advancing science on the health risks associated with exposure to PFAS in children and empowering communities to reduce their exposures and advocate for change.”
Accordingly, the Silent Spring Institute has launched a five-year initiative, PFAS-REACH (Research, Education, and Action for Community Health), which will go beyond current water guidelines to “address concerns about health effects from PFAS in drinking water” and “develop tools and materials to support impacted communities.” The initiative represents a partnership between the Silent Spring Institute and Northeastern University, Michigan State University, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, Testing for Peace, and others.
Though we may not be able to escape the reach of PFAS, we can better understand the threat these chemicals pose and create mitigation strategies to limit their negative impacts. As the NRDC suggests, we can also hold companies that use PFAS accountable by refusing to buy their products. And we can show support for federal and state-level efforts to regulate PFAS.
While we may have to accept the presence of forever chemicals for the foreseeable future, we do not have to accept their irresponsible use nor a lack of regulation and testing that contribute to unsafe PFAS levels in our environment.
