What are PFAS Chemicals?
In 1935 Americans heard a new corporate slogan: “Better Things for Better Living…Through Chemistry". And by 1945, consumers viewed chemistry and chemicals the same way we view technology and computers today: as amazing advancements that improved everyday life, and with post-war prosperity they were soon addicted to convenience. Industry was happy to oblige; supply and demand grew hand in hand, unregulated and unchecked – and very profitable.
And with predictable results: PFAS, (pronounced PEE-fass) is the acronym for Per-/Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances, a class of toxic chemicals used in nonstick cookware, waterproof products, food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics, carpeting, firefighting foam and more products for ‘better living’. Over time we have discovered they persist indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulate in human tissue and have been linked to cancer, birth defects and much more.
PFAS are an emerging, insidious ground water contaminant.
Landfill leachate seeps into the water table;
Manufacturing processes produce water too contaminated for the municipal infrastructure to treat and remediate;
Civilian and Military fire fighting foams run off to surface waterways and ground water.
Eventually, everything finds its way to the water we drink and our food supply chain.
These problems exist on a national level.
How are We Exposed to PFAS?
PFAS can be found in:
Food packaged in PFAS-containing materials, processed with equipment that used PFAS, or grown in PFAS-contaminated soil or water;
Commercial household products, including stain-and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams (a major source of groundwater contamination at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurs);
The workplace, including production facilities or industries (e.g., chrome plating, electronics manufacturing or oil recovery) that use PFAS;
Drinking water, typically localized and associated with a specific facility (e.g., manufacturer, landfill, wastewater treatment plant, firefighter training facility);
Living organisms, including fish, animals and humans, where PFAS have the ability to build up and persist over time.
The PFAS problem is nationwide
In the News…
(CNN - June 5, 2019) “The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed that PFAS chemicals have made their way into the US food supply. On Monday, the FDA publicly acknowledged the initial findings of the agency's investigation into how the ‘forever chemicals’ have been detected in the foods we eat.
PFAS is a family of nearly 5,000 synthetic chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and in our bodies. PFAS is short for perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalkyl substances and includes chemicals known as PFOS, PFOA and GenX, sometimes called forever chemicals. These chemicals all share signature elemental bonds of fluorine and carbon, which are extremely strong and difficult to break down in the environment or in our bodies.
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These chemicals can easily migrate into the air, dust, food, soil and water and can accumulate in the body. They've been linked to adverse health impacts including liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer.
In the body, PFAS chemicals primarily settle into the blood, kidney and liver. A study from 2007 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that PFAS chemicals could be detected in the blood of 98% of the US population.”
Michigan is one of the first states in the nation to design and implement a multi-pronged strategy to detect, measure and eradicate PFAS in groundwater used for drinking water.
Others will soon follow, further straining capacity and resources.
Landfills are an enormous environmental threat in the future. Liners break down and leach rain water and snow melt to the water table. Leachate collection systems can contain the leaking fluids, but testing and treating them for contaminants is a fast growing need.
The recent decision to test landfill leachates for PFAS has led to shocking discoveries of elevated contamination levels in surrounding water tables, and previously ignored or overlooked landfills have moved urgently up the priority lists.