Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” have recently become a major talking point among public health experts, concerned civilians, and environmental activists alike. But what are PFAS and why should they be a cause for worry?
Modernity has brought numerous improvements to our collective quality of life, allowing people to live longer lives in safety and comfort. However, some of the advancements achieved in the past century have led to impacts that were unknown during development. One such advancement includes substances utilized for their durability and resistance to heat and stains. In the 1930s, the aforementioned substances (now grouped under the PFAS label) were invented and began to be produced on a large scale. PFAS were used in nonstick pans, industrial equipment, firefighting chemicals, and even in nuclear developments like the infamous Manhattan Project. PFAS were heralded with widespread appreciation for the benefits they brought to everyday living and industry. Nevertheless, companies started to see the long-term hazards of PFAS use, and it wasn’t pretty.
It wasn’t until the late 1990s that the negative health consequences of PFAS had become public knowledge, but the manufacturers of these chemicals had already realized the perils of their products as early as the 1960s. For instance, an article for Time magazine by Jefferey Kluger discussed the mysterious circumstances related to female workers in a DuPont factory in Virginia. The workers in areas that produced chemicals under the “C8 category” were fired without explanation. Not wishing to have their industry deterred or restricted, DuPont sent out a staff memo that compared C8 chemicals to “table salt” in terms of toxicity, quieting any emerging doubts as to PFAS’s safety.
In December of 2023, researchers at the University of Southern California conducted a study of PFAS’s impact on the bone density of 137 young adults, specifically focusing on Hispanic individuals due to the community’s increased exposure to pollutants. The project found that with each doubling of exposure to a specific type of PFAS, participants in the study had their bone mineral density decreased by 0.003 grams per square centimeter. Although that may seem insignificant, a low bone mineral density is a good predictor for a person getting osteoporosis later on. Osteoporosis is a condition in which one has very brittle bones that are more prone to fractures; it often results in chronic pain, injuries, and loss of independence for everyday tasks. Thus, the study concludes that PFAS need tighter regulations and that “high-risk” groups who face more environmental hazards need to be placed at the forefront of increased protections against harmful chemicals, ensuring a good quality of life and the opportunity for a fulfilling future.
Today, reforms are being sought, especially under the administration of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and proponent of the elimination of environmental toxins that damage human health. This approach is necessary, especially in the wake of so much research confirming the harms of PFAS, but scientists such as Tracey Woodruff from the University of California San Francisco are concerned that the deliverers of such measures may “delegitimize” regulations. Kennedy and those in the Make America Healthy Again movement have often made aggressive claims without conclusive evidence that go against heavily vetted and helpful treatments, further dividing advocates for strict PFAS regulation. Ultimately, the future of these regulations remains uncertain, proving the ambivalence of modern technology as a whole.
