PFAS--What do the letters stand for? Are they dangerous?

NOTE: Much of the information in the following article came from a newly updated FDA website about PFAS.  The FDA provided CNN with an advance copy of the text.

With so many scary stories on the evening news these days, I wasn't looking for another, but it found me in the form of four familiar letters of the alphabet: PFAS. Often called "forever chemicals," these substances are extremely useful. However, we shouldn't ignore the more worrisome side of the story nor has the FDA.  These chemicals have found a way into our food supply and our bodies. In this case, "forever" isn't really what we want.

1. WHAT DO THE LETTERS PSAF STAND FOR?

PFAS is the common ID for "a family of nearly 5,000 synthetic chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and our bodies. PFAS is short for perfluororoalky and polyfluoroalkl substances."(You don't need to remember or even try to pronounce these words.)  These substances include chemicals referred to as PFOS, PFOA, and GenX. The whole group is known as "forever chemicals" because that are very strong and hard to break down either in the environment or the human body.  

2. WHAT HAS MADE THESE PRODUCTS NEWSWORTHY RECENTLY?

In May 2019, these FDA conclusions were presented at a scientific meeting: PFAS chemicals had been found in our food supply, in edibles including water, fish, meat, produce, and chocolate cake.  Some consumables contained PFAS levels more than double the government's advisory level, the FDA announced.

3. HOW DO  THESE CHEMICALS GET FROM THE ENVIRONMENT INTO THE HUMAN   BODY?

They travel from manufactured products into our air, dust, soil, water, plants, and animals. Then we consume them in food and beverages. In 2007, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 98% of the U.S. population have PFAS chemicals in their blood.  Once inside the human body, these chemicals tend to wind up in the blood, kidney, and liver.

4.  WHAT'S THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS STORY? 

Since the 1940s, PFAS substances have been used in many industries because they repel oil, water, and stains. As a result, they are important in the manufacture of nonstick pans, paints, cleaning products, food packaging, dental floss, firefighting foams, fabrics, outdoor gear, and other products.   

5.  WHAT POSSIBLE  HEALTH RISKS HAVE THESE SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS CREATED?

In areas where products containing PFAS are manufactured and/or used, there is greater risk of more of these chemicals getting into the food supply.  Here are some examples:

The FDA tested a  dairy farm near a US. Air Force base that used firefighting foams.  Water samples from the area "tested 35 times greater than the current Environmental Protection Agency health advisory of 70 parts per trillion."  In addition to testing the water at this dairy farm, the FDA researchers tested animal feed and milk. The milk samples were determined to be "of human health concern," so all the milk from the farm was discarded. Regarding that "forever" label,  the evidence showed that after cows consumed PFAS contaminated food, for 30 days, it took more than a year for the cows to rid their systems of these chemicals.

Green vegetables such as lettuce, kale, cabbage, and collard greens also showed detectable levels of PFAS.  However, according to the FDA, these "samples were determined not likely to be a human health concern."  

According to the FDA website material, 10 of 91 foods tested had detectable levels of PFAS, but, again,  "at levels not considered to be of human health concern." When added together are all the sources of these chemicals enough to create health risks for humans?   If so, should more of these products be banned? There are no clear answers yet. 

6. WHAT CONTAMINATED THE CHOCOLATE CAKE?

 The findings don't mean that you must stop serving your family and friends chocolate cake. According to the website of the  Environmental Defense Fund, the very high levels of  PFAS chemicals called PFPeA suggest that the transfer was the result of chemicals used on greaseproof paper that touched the surface of the cake, not from some environmental source. Moreover, the EDF didn't find that the FDA had tested this particular PFAS or that it did or didn't present a health risk.  In October 2017, the same chemical (PFPeA) was found in three randomly selected cities in mid-Atlantic states. It was also found in chocolate milk.

7. WHAT DOES CONSUMER REPORTS SAY ABOUT THE DANGERS OF EXPOSURE TO PFAS?  

According to Consumer Reports,environmental studies have shown that people exposed to high levels of PFAS chemicals have an elevated risk of "high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular  cancer, kidney cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension." Also these chemicals "can affect the immune system and have toxic effects on the liver and other organs."

In 2006, after the EPA asked 8  companies to reduce their use of PFOA by 95%, newer PFAS chemicals were developed. These may be less toxic, but still not safe.  

8. WHAT CAN THE PUBLIC DO TO BE BETTER  PROTECTED FROM PFAS HEALTH RISKS?

These are some of the suggestions in the Consumer Reportsarticle:

✔ Check your drinking  water for these chemicals by reading your annual water quality report. If your water supply has high levels of PFAS chemicals, consider installing reverse-osmosis filters.  

✔Keep your usage of stain-resistant or water-resistant fabrics (for example, for carpeting and furniture) to a minimum.

✔Minimize your use of fast-food packaging and microwave popcorn bags, which commonly contain PFAS chemicals.

✔ Use dental floss that does not contain PFAS.

✔When using nonstick cookware, follow the manufacturer's instructions. These products shouldn't shed PFAS if you don't overheat them, scrape them vigorously, or clean them in the dishwasher, assuming the instructions warn against those actions.

SO WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE?  ARE PFAS CHEMICALS DANGEROUS?  WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WHAT IS THE FDA DOING?

The Chicago Tribune  concluded its recent article on PFAS with this thought from Jamie DeWitt, a toxicologist at East Carolina University who studies PFAS chemicals: one glass of PFAS-contaminated water or one slice of contaminated cake is unlikely to be associated with a health risk. "...but collectively and over a lifetime, that may be a different story."   

Some of these PFAS chemicals have already been voluntarily phased out of production in the  U.S.; some are no longer imported into the U.S. In April 2019, The EPA announced a new plan which includes setting a "maximum containment level" for some PFAS substances. The FDA says it's committed to seeking "better understanding of the role of PFAS in food." It is working with state partners to set up more testing laboratories.

Sources: 

CNN Newsource "FDA confirms PFAS chemicals are in the US food supply"

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/03/health/pfas-food-supply-fda/index.html

Consumer Reports  "Should You Be Concerned About PFAS Chemicals?" April 08, 2019

https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/pfas-chemicals-should-you-be-concerned/

Environmental Defense Fund "FDA finds surprisingly  high levels of PFAS in certain foods--including chocolate cake"

http://blogs.edf.org/health/2019/06/03/fda-high-levels-pfas-chocolate-cake/

Chicago Tribune   "FDA: Substantial amounts of 'forever chemicals in food" June 5, 2019.