“Forever Chemicals” - Corporate PoisonPFAS behind the surge in many deadly diseases by Nick GriffinFollow Nick on Substack
If you saw the 2019 movie Dark Waters, you may have thought that the court victory by Mark Ruffalo’s crusading lawyer character was the end of the matter, and that DuPont’s “forever chemicals” corporate poisons were just a problem for the one small town of Parkersburg. The case was brought against the chemical giant for contaminating water supplies in West Virginia, causing cattle deaths and cancer clusters among locals. It ended in 2017 with a $671mn payout for about 3,500 plaintiffs. Despite that settlement, however, the question of “forever chemicals” is very far from settled. Poisoning by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl is a huge and still unaddressed scandal. Usually known by the initials PFAS, these chemicals are aa clear and present danger to millions of Americans. There are now more than 13,000 unique PFAS chemicals, but the first of their kind was invented in 1938. A young DuPont chemist named Roy Plunkett was researching new refrigerants when he accidentally created a new compound, a slippery substance to which nothing would stick. The product involved a spine of carbon atoms with fluorine atoms attached, and it took off immediately. Promptly named Teflon, by1945 it was being used in military applications to coat valves and seals. Soon it found wider industrial uses, from protecting cables to coating the hulls of ships. French engineer Marc Gregoire spotted the potential for cookware in 1954 and created Tefal non-stick pans. More and more uses were then found for the chemicals. They make fabrics waterproof, stop stains on furniture and carpets, prevent butter seeping through its wrappers, make mascara resistant to tears and strengthen toilet paper. These days, PFAS do everything from protecting your IPhone touch screen to stopping paper plates going soggy. They are even found in children’s toys and in condoms.
The health dangers posed by at least some PFAS were known long before real life attorney Robert Bilott won his victory for the victims of Parkersburg. Two of the most notorious forever chemicals are PFOA and PFOS, which were used in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, and many waterproof textiles. Both were deemed hazardous by the EPA and were phased out in the U.S. nearly twenty years ago. But thousands of other PFAS are still in production and, in any case, the name “forever chemicals” sums up how they remain in the environment even after production ceases. Lingering in water, soil and air, they find their way into drinking water and the food chain. They build up in human blood and organs, and could be even more harmful than microplastics. Forever chemicals are ubiquitous and most Americans interact with them intimately on a daily basis. According to data collected by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, they are floating around inside you, right now. Increasing Your Dose - DailyFurthermore, despite the bans on a few of the most obviously dangerous, the odds are that you are increasing your dose every single day. A recent USGS report estimates that 45 percent of the country’s tap water contains PFAS. A 2023 study of PFAS exposure through skin, undertaken at the UK’s University of Birmingham, found “PFAS can indeed transfer from environmental media (like indoor dust) into skin fluids (like sweat and oils) and become available for absorption through the skin into the bloodstream.” This raises the likelihood that PFAS in sports clothes such as jogging or yoga pants could absorb directly into the bloodstream. As for food “If we’re talking about eating food off paper plates that contain PFAS, for instance, your exposure risks are pretty high because PFAS can absorb into food from plates,” warns environmental researcher Ammi Borenstein, pointing to a 2022 study published on Science Direct. So why does it matter? Studies link PFAS exposure to a host of serious health problems: A 2023 study published in eBioMedicine found links between PFAS exposure and thyroid cancer. PFOA is associated with six diseases: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, pre-eclampsia, and ulcerative colitis. Some PFAS are suspected hormone disrupters and carcinogens, with links to obesity, high blood pressure, fertility issues and cancers of the breast, thyroid and testicles. Faced with the overwhelming evidence that PFAS are extremely dangerous, lawmakers around the world are finally taking action. The EU has lowered permitted levels in drinking water and is considering a total ban. The US Environmental Protection Agency in the US is recommending legally enforceable drinking limits and introducing better testing in wastewater, landfill run-off and fish tissue. From next year, California will forbid the sale of most textiles with PFAS; New York will restrict them in apparel; and Colorado will ban them in furniture and ski wax. Similar laws are pending or approved in many other states. In addition, there are now thousands of U.S. lawsuits targeting major chemical companies over PFAS. Some of these may secure justice for some of the victims in due course but, for many Americans, it will be too late. Meanwhile, the problem continues to get worse. Waiting for government or corporations to act is dangerous folly. Check out what you can do to at least cut the risks to you and your family. Nick Griffin Beyond the Pale is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Note to British readers: This is the SECOND part of a series on the corporate poisoning of the USA. I wrote these for the American Free Press but most of this shocking catalogue of big business greed is all too relevent here at home as well. Apologies for the US spellings. Here’s the first part, in case you missed it: |
