PFAS: Where to find them and what to do about it.
They are here, they are there, they are everywhere. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — PFAS — are man-made chemicals in a class of more than 5,000 substances that are found in products like nonstick pans (think “Teflon”), food packaging, waterproof jackets, and carpets to repel water, grease, and stains. They’re also used in firefighting foam often used on military bases and at commercial airports. Even personal care products like waterproof mascaras and eyeliners, sunscreen, shampoo, and shaving cream can contain PFAS.
PFAS and what they are, what harm they might be causing to humans and the environment, and what to do about them is the focal point of the Local Science Engagement Network’s (LSEN) next virtual roundtable discussion at 4 p.m. Friday. LSEN is an outreach of the Missouri Science & Technology Policy Initiative (MOST).
Click here to learn more and to register for PFAS in Missouri: The chemistry behind perfluoroalkyl substances in our water supply. This is the seventh LSEN roundtable since January.
“We’re trying to reach researchers and educate them on the issues surrounding PFAS,” says Dan English, LSEN coordinator. “We also want to reach Missouri policymakers who might not be aware of this pollution in the environment and its effect on public health.” English adds the PFAS might be the focus of future legislation.
‘Forever chemicals.’
PFAS don’t easily break down, and they can persist in your body and in the environment for decades. As a result of their pervasiveness, more than 95 percent of the U.S. population has PFAS in their bodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to one senior CDC official, the ubiquitous presence and concentration of PFAS in U.S. drinking water presents “one of the most seminal public health challenges for the next decades.” In addition, English said, PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because the fluorine-carbon bond is one of the strongest chemical bonds in nature, and extreme heat is required to break that bond.
PFAS compounds have been shown to cause issues with the reproductive system and cancer in high concentrations, in addition to:
- Low infant birth weight.
- Effects on the immune system.
- Cancer (for PFOA).
- Thyroid hormone disruption (for PFOS).
Friday’s virtual roundtable, which will be followed by a virtual after-party at 5 p.m. on Facebook Live, will be co-hosted by English and Cynthia Chapple, founder of Black Girls Do STEM. Chapple was previously highlighted as a “Featured Scientist” by the MOST team of policy fellows.
Expert panelists.
The rest of the expert panel is made up of Eric Medlock of the Department of Natural Resources; Rebecca Aicher, Ph.D., project director of the AAAS Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues; Megan Hart, Ph.D., assistant professor of computing and engineering, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Libby Davis, Ph.D., of Butler University; and James Bashkin, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
English previously wrote about PFAS and related chemicals as “a growing environmental pollution and public health problems.” He pointed out that although PFAS were banned from U.S. manufacturing processes in the 1940s, PFAS and PFOA are still in use overseas, and products containing the chemicals are still imported. Read the latest news from EPA about PFAS.
Currently, 25 states have linking information about their PFAS policies and mitigation efforts on the EPA’s website. Missouri is among the states that do not have official mitigation plans on that website.
