What are PFAs?
PFA's and their troubling histories are not new, there has been many court cases (mainly in the United States) since 1998 all the way up to recent years, yet companies have been still allowed to pollute the Environment and our bodies.
In the U.K. it's worse, there wasn't any statute lower limits that may allow these to creep into the water, the animals, the food chain, our bodies and our children. PFAS are banned in the U.K but until recently (June 2024) testing for them in our water has only been reccomended, and even then it's measured at a single type of PFA rather than the sum of PFAS.
What are PFAs?
PFAs are known as forever chemicals as they cannot be 'broken down in nature'.
PFAs are a class one carcinogenic. i.e. the worst.
(1)
- Non-Stick Cookware (Teflon)
- Stain-Resistant Carpets and Furniture
- Waterproof Clothing, Shoes, & Outdoor Gear
- Cosmetics & Personal Care Products
- Food Packaging
- Cleaning Products
- Firefighting Foam & Turnout Gear
- Industrial Surfactants
- Spacesuits
(2)
- Skin creams and cosmetics,
- Car and floor polish,
- Rinse aid for dishwashers,
- Textile and fabric treatments,
- Food packaging and microwave popcorn bags,
- Baking equipment,
- Frying pans,
- Outdoor clothing and shoes
1.
2. https://www.dwi.gov.uk/pfas-and-forever-chemicals/
Is it all bad news?
There is good news though, (American) Scientists are starting to find cleaner ways to destroy the waste and Pollution everyday, even when PFAS are filtered, how do we dispose of the waste filters?
The U.S. is 20 years ahead of the U.K. and Europe in regulations and breakthroughs on dealing with PFAS pollution issues, but even with disposal solutions they are finding how persistent these chemicals are.
But, would the easiest solution to the problem be stopping the use of the chemicals?
There are still employee and customer illness issues through contamination and contact in manufacturing and when using the finished products.
For instance when the foam used on fires gets into our sewer system, or when you scratch your non stick pan and it gets in the food.. how is this dealt with?
How are PFAS destroyed?
The current Practice (in the U.S) is Incineration at 1600C in the High Tempreture Incineration is done at 1100C in the UK to "destroy" PFAS.
However, “In New York state, a plant claiming to incinerate PFAS was found to be releasing some of these compounds into the air,” Dichtel said. “The compounds were emitted from the smokestacks and into the local community. Another failed strategy has been to bury the compounds in landfills. When you do that, you are basically just guaranteeing that you will have a problem 20-30 years from now because it’s going to slowly leach out. You didn’t solve the problem. You just kicked the can down the road.”
