A sticky situation with non-stick chemicals

For decades, consumers have been buying water-resistant packaging and clothing, stain-resistant carpets and Teflon cookware.

PFAS are water-resistant. and used in firefighting foam and cookware for their ability to stand up against high temperatures. Despite that resistance, microscopic particles break off and end up in the food chain, causing health problems from high cholesterol to cancer.

JULY 5, 2018

BY AGENCY

Now, there is growing alarm that the chemical components that give those products their appeal are ending up in the water supply.

Drinking water in 33 states in the United States from New Jersey to California has been tainted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly referred to as PFAS.

Now they are also showing up in human blood: A 2015 study found PFAS in 97% of blood samples tested.

A newly released draft of a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the substances that have made their way into drinking water are more dangerous to human health than previously thought.

Its release was delayed for months after a Trump administration aide said it would create a “public relations nightmare”.

The substances are uncommonly difficult to break down.

PFAS, of course, are water-resistant, but they are also used in firefighting foam and cookware for their ability to stand up against high temperatures.

Despite that resistance, microscopic particles break off and end up in the food chain, causing health problems from high cholesterol to cancer.

“It’s like the terrible comedian standing in front of a brick wall saying, ‘If Teflon doesn’t stick to anything, how do they get it to stick to the pan?’” said Mark Benvenuto, an industrial chemistry professor at the University of Detroit Mercy who has written about PFAS in a textbook.

“Well, it didn’t. It would slide right off. They had to add things to it to make it less pure.”

Amid growing health concerns, policymakers in multiple US states want to ban PFAS from food packaging and limit the substances in drinking water.

New York is suing six companies that use PFAS in foams used to put out fires, hoping to recoup US$39mil (RM156.96mil).

One study found the chemicals in one-third of fast-food packaging. Another found PFAS were at or above the EPA’s recommended level in water systems in 33 states, serving more than 16 million people.

The Environmental Working Group thinks the number of people affected could be closer to 110 million.

The advocacy group has a map of sites it says are contaminated. The sites are spread across the US, though some places have higher contamination levels than others.

The water-systems study found that areas close to military sites and airports where firefighting foam is used had more PFAS in their water.

Last year, DuPont paid US$670mil (RM2.7bil) to settle a lawsuit filed by 3,500 residents near Washington, West Virginia, home to a DuPont plant that made Teflon.

The company took female workers off the Teflon production line in 1981 after spotting birth defects in rats exposed to the products, but it wasn’t until 2005 that a medical study of 30,000 residents in the surrounding area was conducted.

In New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection last year pushed for a drinking water standard after PFAS showed up in 11 public water systems near a polymer plant close to the Delaware River.

Xindi Hu, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard who coauthored the water-systems study, said scientists are still discovering how PFAS get into the environment. Scientists are also still examining how, and at what levels, PFAS affect humans.

So far, studies have found ties between PFAS and high cholesterol, cancer and weakened human immune systems.

Even as researchers continue to investigate, some policymakers argue the science is clear enough to take preventive measures.

Lawmakers this year in Washington state enacted a ban on some firefighting foams with PFAS. Another new law requires businesses such as fast-food restaurants and others selling packaged foods to stop using products with PFAS once the state settles on a suitable alternative.

A bill in California would require companies to disclose the presence of PFAS in packaging, and a bill in New York would ban them outright.

“People now realise it doesn’t just matter what you put in your mouth, but what that food product is wrapped in,” said Washington state representative Joan McBride, the Democrat who sponsored the packaged-foods legislation.

“These chemicals are called persistent chemicals. They stay with you, they’re insidious.”

In testimony on her bill, scientists warned of the dangers of PFAS while companies insisted they are safe. McBride said waiting for the state to determine a safer alternative gives companies time to work through stockpiles, and even help develop a suitable replacement.

California assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat, sponsored a bill to put a warning on products with PFAS “so consumers and restaurants can make that educated decision” about using them. “Because I’m not sure even restaurants understand the decision they are making.”

Manufacturers insist PFAS are safe.

“Fluorinated chemistries (PFAS) provide oil and grease repellent properties that help protect the quality and integrity of food, extend shelf life and help in the safe transport and storage of food.

“These attributes may help ensure our food is safer for consumption by protecting it from contamination,” the American Chemistry Council wrote in a statement in response to an interview request. “Banning packaging containing PFAS is unnecessary.”

In New Jersey, efforts have focused squarely on water. The EPA recommends water contain no more than 70 parts per trillion of PFAS. New Jersey has suggested 13 and 14 parts per trillion for two different types of PFAS.

The guidelines are in the comment phase of rule-making. If approved, New Jersey would become the first state to set a maximum contamination level for PFAS.

The goal of the new standard is to help utilities monitor sources and keep it out of drinking water.

Local water utilities have three main options to deal with PFAS: They can stop using certain wells that have high levels of PFAS, dilute the chemical by adding more water, or add a carbon-based treatment that removes the substance but can cost up to US$1mil (RM4.02mil) for large utilities to install.

“It can be treated, but it requires treatment that is above and beyond what a lot of these systems have in place,” said Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman for New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection.

“Seeing this persistent chemical show up in water supplies is kind of opening up new questions of what kind of treatment systems can be put in place, what their effectiveness is going to be, and how costly is it going to be.” – Stateline.org/Tribune News Service

https://www.star2.com/health/2018/07/05/sticky-situation-with-non-stick-chemicals

Boil Your Unpeeled Carrots for Maximum Nutrition

Carrots provide the most nutrients, such as beta-carotene, which converts in your body to vitamin A, when they're left whole and boiled, experts say. Purple, red, yellow and white varieties, being developed for more nutrition, may soon appear in a market near you.

June 19, 2017

Story at-a-glance

• One of the best examples of how crucial it is to cook carrots correctly is that it boosts their cancer-fighting capabilities by 25 percent due to a compound called falcarinol
• Carrots contain high amounts of carotenoids, which are converted into vitamin A in your body, helping improve your eyesight and more
• Scientists say carrots release the most nutrients when they’re boiled whole, without being peeled, shredded or grated first
• Most people identify them as being orange, but they actually come in a variety of colors, such as purple, red, yellow, white and even black

By Dr. Mercola

There are astonishing arrays of vegetables in the world of every shape and color, each representing an amazing commodity. It's incredible that you can put seeds in the ground, give them adequate sunlight and water, and in a matter of weeks or a few months, you have instant food, which your body needs to thrive.

Vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients and phytonutrients, such as antioxidants, sulforaphane, isothiocyanates, anthocyanins, carotenoids and a host of other beneficial compounds to provide energy, help your body fight disease, increase your immune function and perform a myriad of other tasks.

Carrots, one of the sweetest vegetables, are also one of the most popular plant-based foods. They're unique for several reasons, but perhaps one of their most important calling cards is beta-carotene, which can't be manufactured in your body, so it needs to come from your diet. In the days of the Romans and Greeks, carrots were believed to be an aphrodisiac, which may be why they purportedly were used more as a "medicine" than a food.

Here's another interesting factoid: Daily Mail reports that the first carrots weren't the orange we're used to seeing today, but were developed to have an orange color as a political tribute to the Dutch House of Orange.

Many of the earliest Dutch citizens were involved in agriculture, and many were known to grow carrots, Tested.com1 reveals, but up to the late 1500s carrots were usually purple, green, white and even black. In the 17th century, when the Dutch republic was formed, carrots with high amounts of orange-hued beta-carotene were cultivated, and they caught on.

Nutrients in Carrots

If you've noticed that "carotene" sounds like "carrot," there's a reason. The word came from Nobel prize-winning scientist German scientist Richard Kuhn,2 who crystallized the carotene compound from carrot roots. Beta-carotene is just one of more than 600 carotenoids, responsible for the pigment in colorful foods like dark leafy greens, tomatoes, egg yolks, fruits and salmon (the most healthy option being wild-caught Alaskan salmon).

Carrots contain higher levels of beta-carotene than any other vegetable or fruit. The reason that's significant is because beta-carotene gives (some) carrots their distinctive orange color, but also converts in your body to vitamin A, which is very good for your vision. You may have heard your mother say eating your carrots would be good for your eyesight, and it happens to be true.

Numerous minerals "up" the health aspects of carrots, such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, to help build strong bones and a healthy nervous system.

Calcium is essential for healthy heart muscles; phosphorus is helpful for softening skin and strengthening teeth, hair and bones, while magnesium plays a role in absorbing nutrients, mental development and fat digestion. Carrot consumption is also good for body-beneficial potassium, vitamins C and B6, copper, thiamine and folic acid. Fiber is another benefit, which helps move food through your system for easier elimination and better health overall.

How to Extract the Most Nutrition From Your Carrots

Most people assume eating carrots raw is the way to get the most nutrition,3 but science reveals that's not always the case. It turns out that cooking carrots whole, skin intact, without chopping, slicing, grating, shredding or peeling them, is the best way to obtain the most nutrients when they're eaten (although you should scrub them first to remove surface dirt).

Once they're cooked, they can be chopped in the manner you desire. Just before serving, add a little olive or coconut oil and butter for the highest nutrition, experts say.

Researchers also maintain that boiling carrots in their unchopped state makes them taste better. Nearly 100 volunteers took the taste test, and 80 percent of them came to that conclusion. Independent nutritionist Carrie Ruxton wondered if the same benefits might come from vegetables belonging to the carrot family with a similar size and texture, such as parsnips.

In 2013, Dr. Kirsten Brandt found in an animal study that when rats were fed carrots or isolated falcarinol, they were a third less likely to develop full-scale tumors than the others. More recently, Brandt and colleague Ahlam Rashed, from Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, concluded from another study4 that carrots boiled before being cut contained 25 percent more falcarinol, and as a result, 25 percent more cancer-fighting capabilities, than those chopped beforehand. Daily Mail reported:

"Cut carrots have a higher surface area in contact with the water, resulting in greater loss of nutrients compared with boiling them whole. The heat softens the cell walls in the vegetable, allowing vitamins and falcarinol to leach out. Dr. Brandt said: 'The great thing about this is it's a simple way for people to increase their uptake of a compound we know is good for you. All you need is a bigger saucepan.'"5

Different Veggies Require Different Preparation Methods

Different preparation methods are used on different veggies to get the most nutrition. Rodale's Organic Life asserts:

"Cooking vegetables helps to soften their tough fibrous exteriors and loosen up all the nutritional good stuff that lies inside. In fact, some vegetables, such as tomatoes, are actually more healthful if you eat them cooked, because the process of cooking them boosts their level of the potent antioxidant lycopene.

The only problem is, not all cooking methods are the same. Some boost nutrient content; some take it away. Some add unwanted fat, while others add the crucial amount for your body to absorb all the nutrients in vegetables."6

Broccoli is best steamed for three or four minutes to release the maximum amount of its most beneficial nutrient — sulforaphane — in a process that eliminates epithiospecifier protein, which is heat sensitive and destroys the sulfur. Steaming it briefly also retains the enzyme myrosinase, the agent that converts glucoraphanin to sulforaphane. Further, boiling your broccoli (or microwaving it) eliminates the desirable myrosinase.

Safe Cooking Options to Retain Nutrients

What are some other healthy ways to cook veggies? Griddles or frying pans are one way — if it's stainless steel, titanium, ceramic, glass or enamel. When you use nontoxic pots and pans, most vegetables not only retain the valuable, good-for-you compounds but also make it easy to observe in the process. Rodale's Organic Life7 lists several common methods of preparing veggies, starting with baking:

"Baking, or roasting, is hit or miss. Based on the study results, bake your artichokes, asparagus, broccoli and peppers, all of which retained their antioxidant values, but not your carrots, Brussels sprouts, leeks, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, onions, beans, celery, beets and garlic, which all saw decreases in nutrient levels.

Where baking really shines is with green beans, eggplant, corn, Swiss chard and spinach, all of which saw their antioxidant levels increase after baking. Toss a handful of those veggies into your next casserole."8

• Steaming — Some scientists say tossing veggies with a little oil, such as coconut or avocado oil, used after the heating is finished, helps boost nutrient absorption.
• Sautéing — For some reason, studies don't seem to recommend sautéing, but it's interesting to note that this is the preferred method used by The George Mateljan Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to helping people cook and eat for optimal health. In fact, the site notes that it "produces a much richer flavor."9
• Boiling — It only makes sense that if you cover your veggies with water and boil them, many if not most of the nutrition will dissipate. Peas, cauliflower and zucchini, in particular, lose much of what they offer. If you must boil your vegetables, save the nutrient-rich water to use for soup or sauce. Carrots, as previously mentioned, are an exception to this rule.
• Frying — This cooking method is, not surprisingly, the one that fails the test in terms of retaining antioxidants and other nutritive advantages in cooked food. Frying is said to be responsible for food losing between 5 percent and 50 percent of each vegetable's nutrients.

Caveats (Like Carcinogens) to Circumvent When Cooking

Another important caveat: When you want to eat something healthy on one hand and nontoxic on the other, make sure your griddle, skillet, roaster, saucepan or any other tool you use for heating does not have a nonstick chemical coating. It's a toxin looking for a place to happen.

These nonstick options, used since the 1940s, may make cooking convenient, but the bits that peel off over time eventually get into your food and into your system, as well as release toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures. The American Cancer Society notes:

"Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is another man-made chemical (known as fluorotelomers) … (with) the potential to be a health concern because it can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. Studies have found that it is present worldwide at very low levels in just about everyone's blood."10

Additionally, many food manufacturers recommend microwaving for convenience, even packaging foods in plastic bags or containers that can be popped into the microwave for "no muss and no fuss." But there are many problems and potential problems with microwave use: Vital nutrients might be lost, antibodies degraded, protein chemistry altered and white blood cells impaired due to thermic effects. Microwaving may also have detrimental effects on your heart.

The second problem is that many people use plastic in microwaves, which may cause chemicals they contain to leach into your food. That's not all: There are two other things to pay attention to regarding the oils you use for cooking, as some have much higher smoke points than others. While olive oil is a great oil to use in salads and other foods, for instance, it's not good for cooking. Coconut oil and butter are much safer fats to use that are also very healthy for you.

The second thing to watch is the temperatures you use when you cook. Be aware that when the heat is too high, it can destroy nutrients and even create the formation of harmful (aka carcinogenic) substances. As in everything else, especially nowadays, it seems, when it comes to the foods you eat, researching as much as possible is only prudent.

Carrot Color Makes a Difference

As mentioned earlier, carrots once came in a rainbow of colors and weren't cultivated to be orange until much later. Adventurous gardeners and horticulturalists are getting into their roots, though, so to speak, and resurrecting carrot colors that are every bit as nutritious, just in different ways. You may have seen some of these colors showing up at local farmers markets, if not in your neighborhood grocery store.

In the cultivation process, scientists have also been exploring ways to breed more nutrients into these many-colored carrots, while at the same time attempting to get consumers more interested.

There have been eye rolls, however, says Philipp Simon, plant geneticist in the horticulture department at the USDA's College of Agricultural & Life Sciences in the University of Wisconsin. He and his team are looking to develop carrot varieties that are unusual in hue but still acceptable to people used to buying orange, while still tasting good and offering health benefits. Healthland,11 Time's food segment, lists the nutritional aspects different carrot hues offer:

• Red — Lycopene and beta-carotene pigment, linked to a lower risk of certain cancers, including prostate cancer
• Yellow — Xanthophylls and lutein are associated with cancer prevention and eye health
• Orange — Beta and alpha carotene pigment provide vitamin A
• White — Mild, with high fiber content
• Purple — Anthocyanin, beta and alpha carotenes may provide extra vitamin A for heart disease protection; have a sweeter and sometimes "peppery" flavor

Healthland adds:

"Thanks to Simon's efforts, carrots today have about 75 percent more beta-carotene (a pigment used by the body to make vitamin A) than the carrots available 25 years ago. His team at the University of Wisconsin partners with USDA's Agricultural Research Service, which supports scientists working on ways to improve Americans' nutritional intake."12

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/06/19/carrots-nutrition.aspx

Toxic Cookware Chemicals Have Polluted Drinking Water for Millions

According to a recent Harvard study, 16.5 million Americans have detectable levels of at least one kind of polyfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkyl chemical (PFASs) in their drinking water.

August 24, 2016 

Story at-a-glance

• PFASs — used to create non-stick, stain-resistant and water-repellant surfaces — are toxic and highly persistent, both in your body and in the environment and likely affecting your health
• 16.5 million Americans have detectable levels of at least one kind of polyfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkyl chemical (PFASs) in their drinking water
• PFOA was an essential ingredient in DuPont’s Teflon cookware for decades. It’s also used in hundreds of other non-stick and stain-resistant products

By Dr. Mercola

According to a recent Harvard study, 16.5 million Americans have detectable levels of at least one kind of polyfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkyl chemical (PFASs) in their drinking water. About 6 million Americans are drinking water that contains PFAS at or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety level.1,2,3,4

These industrial chemicals have been linked to a number of health problems, from obesity and hormonal problems to impaired immune function5 and cancer, and the study's authors warn that PFASs may contribute to illness even below the EPA's safety level. Co-author Dr. Philippe Grandjean told the Charleston Gazette-Mail:6

"The EPA advisory limit ... is much too high to protect us against toxic effects on the immune system. And the available water data only reveals the tip of the iceberg of contaminated drinking water."

Recent research even suggests PFAS exposure may reduce effectiveness of vaccines in children by interfering with their immune function.7

PFASs Have Become Ubiquitous in the Environment

PFASs are used in many industrial applications calling for non-stick or slick surfaces, such as food packaging, stain- and water-resistant fabrics, non-stick cookware and firefighting foam. As reported by CNN:8

"As a result of their ubiquity, the chemicals migrate into air, household dust, food, soil and ground and surface water, and they eventually make their way into drinking water.

The problem with PFASs is that they remain in your body for a long time. Though other chemicals can be excreted within hours, it takes about 3.5 years for your body to get rid of just half of whatever amount you ingest …"

Do You Have Unsafe PFAS Levels in Your Drinking Water?

While toxic water supplies were found in 33 states, 75 percent of the samples with elevated PFAS came from 13 states: California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, Massachusetts and Illinois.

Not surprisingly, the highest concentration levels of PFAS were found in watersheds near industrial sites, military fire training areas and wastewater treatment plants. Private wells were also found to be contaminated. According to the authors:

"Among samples with detectable PFAS levels, each additional military site within a watershed's eight-digit hydrologic unit is associated with a 20 [percent] increase in PFHxS, a 10 [percent] increase in both PFHpA and PFOA, and a 35 [percent] increase in PFOS.

The number of civilian airports with personnel trained in the use of aqueous film-forming foams is significantly associated with the detection of PFASs above the minimal reporting level."

Many Americans Face Health Risks From Water Contaminants

As reported by CNN,9 more than 18 million Americans also receive drinking water from water treatment facilities that have violated federal drinking water rules for lead. And, in 9 out of 10 cases, the EPA has taken no enforcement action against the violators.

Disturbingly, many water treatment facilities are actually using incorrect testing methods to avoid detecting high levels of lead, which means the number of Americans drinking lead-contaminated water is likely even higher than that.

An estimated 16 million also have perchlorate — a chemical used in explosives and rocket fuel — in their drinking water.10

Just how severe water contamination may be remains an open question, as the Safe Drinking Water Act only regulates 91 contaminants. Meanwhile, more than 80,000 chemicals are used in the U.S.11 There's really no telling how many of these chemicals, and in what amounts, end up in our drinking water.

Teflon Chemical Is Harmful at Minute Doses

One PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8), has been revealed to be far more dangerous than previously thought. For 50 years, DuPont used PFOA to make Teflon. Throughout that time, the company defended the safety of PFOA.

Despite the overwhelming evidence of harm, DuPont still to this day resists accountability for health problems resulting from PFOA exposure. However, the truth has finally become too obvious to ignore.

Last year, The Intercept blew the case open when it published a three-part exposé12titled "The Teflon Toxin: DuPont and the Chemistry of Deception," detailing DuPont's history of covering up the facts.

Earlier this year, The New York Times also published an in-depth exposé13 on the legal battle fought against DuPont for the past 15 years over PFOA contamination and its toxic effects.

According to a 2015 report14 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the EPA's "safe" level of PFOA in drinking water is likely hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of times too high for safety:

"[T]wo leading environmental health scientists have published research with alarming implications … Their research finds that even very tiny concentrations of PFOA — below the reporting limit required by EPA's tests of public water supplies — are harmful …

Since 2013, an EPA testing program has found PFOA in 94 public water systems in 27 states. These systems provide drinking water to more than 6.5 million people.

... [A]mong the samples with PFOA, statewide average levels ranged between five times and 175 times the level described by the new research as safe."

Safety Level for PFAS Lowered, but May Still Not Be Low Enough

As a sign of progress, the EPA lowered the safety level for PFOA and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) from 0.4 parts per billion (ppb) to .07 ppb in May, 201615 (including a maximum combined level of .07 ppb if both chemicals are present).

The new standard takes into account lifetime exposure that would occur from drinking contaminated water.

Unfortunately, EPA data shows that water systems in 18 states are contaminated with PFOA and/or PFOS above the new federal threshold. Besides, even the new threshold may not be low enough to protect public health. According to the EWG, the safety level really should be 0.0003 ppb.

DuPont Faces Increasingly Serious Fallout From Its Teflon Products

PFOA is now the subject of about 3,500 personal injury claims against DuPont, four of which have already gone to court. One woman who developed kidney cancer after drinking PFOA-contaminated water was awarded $1.6 million in damages.16,17

These legal processes have uncovered internal documents showing DuPont was fully aware of the chemical's danger to the public and employees, yet continued using it while hiding contamination problems.

In 2002, the EPA announced PFOA may pose a health risk to the general public both via contaminated water and Teflon cookware. DuPont's own research shows that when its non-stick cookware is heated it breaks down to 15 toxic gases and particles, mostly fluorine-based.18,19

Three years later, in 2005, the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million for violating the Toxic Substances Control Act by withholding decades' worth of information about health hazards associated with PFOA.

That same year, a panel of scientists was convened to determine PFOA's effect on human health. After seven years of research, the results of which are detailed in more than three dozen peer-reviewed papers, the C8 Science Panel linked PFOA to:20

• Ulcerative colitis
• High cholesterol
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension
• Thyroid disease
• Testicular and kidney cancer

Its health effects were deemed to be widespread and occurred even at very low exposure levels. Now, residents of Hoosick Falls, New York — where a string of rare cancer deaths, thyroid disease and other health problems have occurred — are suing PFOA manufacturers for contaminating their local water supply.21

Hundreds of Scientists Issue Warning Over PFASs

It's quite clear that the chemical industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself, and DuPont stands as a shining example of this. It can take decades before a dangerous chemical is recognized as such, and then the company can simply switch over to another untested, unregulated chemical, and the whack-a-mole game continues — all because chemicals do not have to be proven safe BEFORE they're used.

In May 2015, more than 200 scientists from 40 countries signed the so-called Madrid Statement,22,23 which warns about the harms of all PFAS chemicals, both old and new. Documented health effects associated with the older, long-chain PFASs, including the following:24

Liver toxicity	Disruption of lipid metabolism, and the immune and endocrine systems
Adverse neurobehavioral effects	Neonatal toxicity and death
Tumors in multiple organ systems	Testicular and kidney cancers
Liver malfunction	Hypothyroidism
High cholesterol	Ulcerative colitis
Reduced birth weight and size	Obesity
Decreased immune response to vaccines	Reduced hormone levels and delayed puberty

The Statement also points out the problem with replacing PFASs known to be harmful with other similar, but less scientifically evaluated, compounds, saying:

• "Although some of the long-chain PFASs are being regulated or phased out, the most common replacements are short-chain PFASs with similar structures, or compounds with fluorinated segments joined by ether linkages.

• While some shorter-chain fluorinated alternatives seem to be less bioaccumulative, they are still as environmentally persistent as long-chain substances or have persistent degradation products. Thus, a switch to short-chain and other fluorinated alternatives may not reduce the amounts of PFASs in the environment. In addition, because some of the shorter-chain PFASs are less effective, larger quantities may be needed to provide the same performance."

How to Avoid PFASs

According to the 1976 Toxic Sub­stances Control Act, the EPA can only test chemicals AFTER it has obtained evidence of harm. This arrangement is a prescription for disaster because it basically allows chemical companies to regulate themselves, and this is largely the reason why the EPA has restricted only five chemicals in the last four decades.

The Madrid Statement recommends avoiding any and all products containing, or manufactured using, PFASs, noting they include products that are stain-resistant, waterproof or non-stick. More helpful tips can be found in the EWG's "Guide to Avoiding PFCS."25Other suggestions that will help you avoid these dangerous chemicals include avoiding:

Items that have been pre-treated with stain-repellants, and opt out of such treatments when buying new furniture and carpets

Water- and/or stain-repellant clothing. One tipoff is when an item made with artificial fibers is described as "breathable." These are typically treated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a synthetic fluoropolymer

Items treated with flame retardant chemicals,26 which includes a wide variety of baby items, padded furniture, mattresses and pillows. Instead, opt for naturally less flammable materials such as leather, wool and cotton

Fast food and carry out foods, as the wrappers are typically treated with PFCs

Microwave popcorn. PFOA may not only present in the inner coating of the bag, it also may migrate to the oil from the packaging during heating. Instead, use "old-fashioned" stovetop popcorn

Non-stick cookware and other treated kitchen utensils. Healthier options include ceramic and enameled cast iron cookware, both of which are durable, easy to clean and completely inert, which means they won't release any harmful chemicals into your home. A newer type of non-stick cookware called Duralon uses a nonfluoridated nylon polymer for its non-stick coating. While this appears to be safe, your safest bet is still ceramic and enameled cast iron. While some recommend using aluminum, stainless steel and copper cookware, I don't for the following reasons: aluminum is a strongly suspected causal factor in Alzheimer's disease, and stainless steel has alloys containing nickel, chromium, molybdenum and carbon. For those with nickel allergies, this may be a particularly important consideration. Copper cookware is also not recommended because most copper pans come lined with other metals, creating the same concerns noted above. (Copper cookware must be lined due to the possibility of copper poisoning.)

Oral-B Glide floss and any other personal care products containing PTFE or "fluoro" or "perfluoro" ingredients. The EWG has an excellent database called Skin Deep27 you can peruse to find healthier options

At-Home Water Filtration Is a Must for Clean Pure Water

Unfortunately, your choices are limited when it comes to avoiding PFASs in drinking water. Either you must filter your water or obtain water from a clean source. Both solutions can be problematic and/or costly.

While many opt for bottled water, it's important to realize that PFASs are not regulated in bottled water, so there's absolutely no guarantee that it'll be free of these or other chemicals. Bottled water also increases your risk of exposure to hazardous plastic chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA), which has its own set of health risks.

Most common water filters available in supermarkets will not remove PFASs. You really need a high-quality carbon filtration system. To be certain you're getting the purest water you can, filter the water both at the point of entry and at the point of use. This means filtering all the water that comes into the house, and then filtering again at the kitchen sink and shower.

The New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute recommends using granulated activated carbon "or an equally efficient technology" to remove PFC chemicals such as PFOA and PFOS from your drinking water.28 Activated carbon has been shown to remove up to 90 percent of these chemicals.

One of the best filtration systems I've found so far is the Pure & Clear Whole House Water Filtration System, which uses a three-stage filtration process — a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter, and a high-grade carbon water filter.29

If you have been regularly exposed to PFASs by drinking municipal water, it would be wise to not only implement the above filtering recommendations to limit future toxic exposures but also consider a detox program. The likely most effective form would be to use infrared sauna with niacin as discussed in my interview with Dr. George Yu.

I personally do a version of this program three times a week in one of our infrared saunas — not only for PFASs but for all the other, nearly unavoidable exposures from living in contemporary society.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/08/24/drinking-water-pfas-level.aspx