PFAS may be everywhere, health department sets new limits

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced new limits on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – chemicals that have always been present in drinking water. The announcement comes amid growing concern over PFAS, which persist in the environment, are ubiquitous and do not degrade over time. Carbon and fluorine PFAS compounds are used in myriad household and industrial products, from non-stick cookware to cosmetics, and from fire-fighting foam to fabric treatments.

This week, a group of researchers said that toilet paper should also be considered as a possible source. Every home is likely to contain dust containing PFAS chemicals at low concentrations; Which causes a risk to the health of the people living there. But how concerned should we be about the risks to our personal health associated with these ever-present chemicals? Harmful Effects Three specific PFAS chemicals of concern: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that persist in the environment for long periods of time, are widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have harmful effects on human health or the environment. To address PFAS risks and set acceptable limits, Australia has environmental and health guidelines for food, drinking water and recreational water exposures – similar to those just announced in the US.

The effects of PFAS exposure remain a matter of debate, particularly because of the correlation between exposure and poor human health. Nonetheless, there are clear associations with health outcomes including low fetal weight, impaired immune response, thyroid abnormalities, obesity, increased lipid levels and liver dysfunction, and poor response to the vaccine. These links to disease may be disputed, but it remains prudent to minimize exposure to all potentially harmful chemicals.

What about toilet paper though? The issue with regard to PFAS in toilet paper studies is that consumers do not know that the products they are buying contain PFAS. PFAS in toilet roll may have entered the paper as an additive as part of the pulping and manufacturing process. Toilet paper with PFAS increases the total harmful substances found in wastewater and biosolids.

But should we really trust it? So the answer is yes, because it is not unreasonable for consumers to demand to know whether the products they are buying and using contain potentially toxic compounds. Some chemicals, such as BPA (bisphenol-A, an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing), have been voluntarily phased out and products that are BPA-free are labeled accordingly. One concern when swapping chemicals is that the substituents are actually more acceptable and are not replaced by something equally related.

And we should do everything we can to reduce the amount of persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals in our environment that are difficult to treat. On the other hand, we should not worry excessively as the risks of PFAS to the skin are negligible. Most assessments show that food and water are the primary sources of PFAS exposure to humans. And the harm from exposure is determined by its quantity.

Although there is no safe acceptable limit for some chemicals, low concentrations are generally present in the wider environment away from PFAS sources such as fire stations and training grounds and airports. Levels are falling The Australian population’s exposure levels to these regulated chemicals have been falling over the past 20 years, despite the fact that these chemicals are still present in cosmetics, food packing, cookware, clothing and carpets. Furthermore, the Australian Total Diet Study showed that PFOS was detected in only five of 112 food types and in less than 2% of all samples.

The daily intake of PFOS in the population was identified as being low enough to raise public health and safety concerns. Australian food PFAS amounts were consistently lower than those reported from Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom and China. Population exposure concentrations – outside known contamination hotspots – are low and exposures are decreasing over time. Our main focus should be on improving modifiable social determinants of health such as income, education, job security, relationships with friends and family. These will result in beneficial health outcomes.

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