PFAS might not be as well-known as chemicals like chlorine or fluoride, but this dangerous set of “forever chemicals” is set to become the asbestos of our time. While our understanding of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances is still growing, the information we do have is concerning: they’re everywhere, they don’t break down, and they’re known carcinogens.
While the PFAS discussion has been going on for decades and there is still a great need for more research, recent studies and revelations have highlighted some concerning new details. Headlines about class action lawsuits, contamination hotspots, and lagging safety standards come more frequently every year, and the news coming out of Australia… isn’t good.
What are PFAS Chemicals?
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS for short) are man-made chemicals used in products that resist heat, oil, stains and water. Rather than being a specific chemical like chlorine or fluoride, PFAS is an umbrella term for a growing list of substances.
Other acronyms are used to refer to specific groups within the PFAS class of chemicals:
PFOS – Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid
Found in personal care products like shampoo and cosmetics.
PFOA – Perfluorooctanoic acid
Found in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, and industrial waste.
PFHxS – Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid
Used as a surfactant in industrial processes. Also found in stain-resistant fabrics and firefighting foam.
PFNA – Perfluorononanoic acid
Found in stain-resistant and grease-resistant coatings on furniture, carpets, and food packaging.
These compounds have been given the nickname “forever chemicals” because of how long they take to break down in the environment – and in our bodies. Rather than being expelled through sweat and waste like other toxins, forever chemicals bio-accumulate (build up over time) in both animals and humans.
Where Do PFAS Chemicals Come From?
In Australia, a lot of the PFAS contamination we know about can be traced back to fire fighting foams used from the 1970s to the mid-2000s. These aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) were widely used by military and industrial organisations as fire suppressants because of their effectiveness against liquid fires (e.g. fuel fires).
Contamination sites have often been close to military training facilities where these foams were used for training drills, gradually seeping into ground water stores over time. The Australian government has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars over the last few years to reimburse communities whose drinking water contained PFAS levels deemed a risk to human health, exceeding even Australia’s more relaxed drinking water guidelines.
PFAS contamination can also come from heat and stain-resistant products like Teflon and Scotch Guard from manufacturers like 3M, used internationally since the 1940s. Even more innocuous, everyday consumer products like food packaging, non stick cookware, and dental floss have been linked to PFAS exposure.
While direct PFAS contamination occurs more often in military or industrial areas with high concentration run-off from these fire fighting foams, these household products eventually make their way to landfill sites, where PFAS chemicals can be released into the environment through rainfall and sewage discharges.
PFAS chemicals that make their way into the environment do not go away, but they do move. You don’t need to live beside a PFAS-producing factory to be exposed to their health effects; when we release a high concentration of PFAS into our water, it flows out from stream to river, then out to sea, circulating in ocean currents. Drinking water reservoirs can also be contaminated by this PFAS run-off.
Once it gets into the tiniest of organisms, its position in the food chain grows. From plankton to small fish, to big fish, to sea birds (unless, of course, we catch the big fish and take it straight to our plates).
Bioaccumulation also means PFAS exposure can come from a newborn child’s contact with their mother. Certain PFAS can be transferred through breast milk, while other manufactured chemicals can enter a child’s body before they are even born. Just like we can be exposed to PFAS chemicals through our drinking water and general food supply, babies can be exposed to PFAS from the nutrients they’re taking in.
They are in the air we breathe, the soil our food is grown in, and our drinking water – including several kinds of bottled water. Through these environmental, industrial, and biological channels, PFAS can reach people and wildlife worldwide.
How Do PFAS Chemicals Impact Our Health?
Studies have linked PFAS contamination to a number of adverse health outcomes, from hormone and thyroid disruption to fertility complications and cancer. PFOA specifically has been classified by the World Health Organisation as carcinogenic to humans, with any level of exposure being potentially harmful.
Human Health Effects of Exposure to PFAS Chemicals
Citing several peer-reviewed scientific studies, the US Environmental Protection Agency says PFAS exposure can lead to human health risks like:
- Decreased fertility, high blood pressure during pregnancy, and other reproductive effects.
- Thyroid disease and liver damage.
- Impaired immune system or antibody response (our body’s ability to fight infections).
- Reduced vaccine response and disease control.
- Developmental delays in children (e.g. low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, behavioural changes).
- Increased risk of multiple cancers including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
- Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.
- Endocrine disruption, interfering with the body’s natural hormones.
Whether exposure to PFAS comes from drinking water, breathing air, or just coming into contact with certain foods and products, the health effects are a serious concern. The Australian Government is working to protect national health interests from exposure to PFAS, the health effects listed above call for immediate and widespread action. Regular PFAS testing, harsher restrictions that don’t leave gaps for certain PFAS compounds to still be manufactured.
What can I do about PFAS?
The main challenge with understanding PFAS and reducing exposure is that there are thousands of different compounds classified under the same umbrella term, with more being added to the list all the time. These chemicals are incredibly resilient, travel vast distances, and leave no detectable taste or smell in our water. It was only in the last few decades that we even began to measure PFAS, and shockingly high concentrations have been found in blood levels and the environment.
However, scientific knowledge regarding PFAS’ environmental occurrence, the effects of exposure, test methods and remediation technologies are rapidly evolving worldwide. Information from the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies can help identify specific consumer products to steer clear of in order to minimise your exposure to PFAS chemicals, but avoiding food packaging and educating yourself about PFAS compounds only goes so far in limiting potential health effects.
Protect Your Drinking Water with Reverse Osmosis
One of the most reliable tools currently on the market for removing PFAS from your drinking water are our reverse osmosis water filters, stripping out particles as small as 0.0005 microns and giving you the purest drinking water possible short of distillation.
Reverse osmosis forces water through a semi-permeable membrane, removing up to 99.95% of chemicals and contaminants that might be present in your water – including PFAS. These under-sink systems are the perfect complement for a whole-home system that takes sediments, pesticides, heavy metals, and chlorine out of your water.
Attapure: Reduce Exposure to PFAS Throughout Your Home
Complete Home Filtration is also close to launching a proprietary whole-home filtration system that can remove PFAS from every tap and outlet in your home. We’ve been developing this system for years, making sure it can keep up with the science and address the needs of Australians across the country. Watch this space for updates!
