The Growing Problem of Forever Chemicals in Our Air, Water, and Soil

Atmospheric chemist, Hayley Hung, at Environment and Climate Change Canada is studying the extent of PFAS contamination raising concerns about their increasing existence in North America’s most important freshwater source. He and others have been testing for 41 different PFAS in air, water, and precipitation samples at sites located on each of the Great Lakes. The highest concentrations have been found near urban centres. Cleveland has the highest PFA levels. Precipitation samples show a fairly even PFAS distribution across the entire Great Lakes. That’s because forever chemicals travel through the atmosphere before precipitating out. As a result, even in remote areas, sampling shows concentrations to be notably similar indicating there is no safe place to escape from these pollutants.

“The sources are not local,” states Marta Venier, an environmental chemist at Indiana University and a co-author of the Great Lakes study. They go well beyond the Great Lakes region and notes that they have been found in blood samples taken from Indigenous remote communities in Canada’s far north.

Forever chemicals take a long time to break down in our bodies. They are endocrine disrupters. Endocrine disrupters can mimic, block, or interfere with hormones and the systems that regulate important body functions including growth, development, metabolism, and reproduction.

PFAS Are Found Everywhere

With PFAS found in so many everyday items, it is almost impossible to avoid exposure. Over time, states endocrinologist David Shewmon, “Exposure can cause problems in our bodies.” Rather than being eliminated, the chemicals build up affecting blood pressure, metabolism, reproduction, hormones, sleep patterns and even our moods.

Over 9,000 PFAS have been invented in the past 70 years and can be found in numerous industrial and consumer products. The most common are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Dimer Acid (also known as “GenX”).  PFAS are in stain-resistant textiles, food-handling materials, firefighting foam, medical devices, paints, personal care products, construction materials, nonstick cookware, compostable food packaging, rugs, upholstery, and industrial products used in manufacturing. Their carbon-fluorine chemical bonds make them durable, heat, stain, grease and water resistant. If you order takeout, buy microwave popcorn, or take home packaged grocery items then you likely have been exposed.

That’s why in our modern world avoidance is nearly impossible. The water we drink from bottles or the tap likely has detectable levels of PFAS. The food wrappers and containers we use contain PFAS. If you eat freshly caught fish from freshwater sources, PFAS are present. Outdoor plants that we turn into food contain PFAS absorbed through rainfall and root systems.

This year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that companies are phasing out food packaging containing PFAS by August 2025 or when current supplies run out, whichever comes first. Last year Health Canada announced it was studying the regulating and elimination of PFAS from industrial sources and packaging. Companies on both sides of the 49th parallel are being asked to voluntarily stop using PFAS deemed to be the most toxic.

PFAS Responses

A quick tour of PFAS responses around the world shows varying attitudes and policies:

• The European Union and the United Kingdom are both pursuing the elimination of almost every PFA with exemptions for critical industries.
• China is looking at regulating PFAS, eliminating some, and exempting others.
• India has yet to regulate PFAS but has been doing studies that show rivers throughout the subcontinent are contaminated with forever chemicals including the sacred Ganges.
• Australia is slow off the mark and is still studying PFAS and their impacts on human health.
• In Africa, the concentrations of PFAS in water environments are generally lower than in the Developed World. Nigeria is formally studying PFAS impacts.
• In South and Central America, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico are developing frameworks for regulating PFAS use. Chile and Colombia have published commitments to eliminate PFAS.

PFAS Use Consequences

Traces of PFAS can be found in the blood of most Canadians and Americans. Health Canada research indicates PFAS are transmitted through the placenta into fetuses and through breast milk into babies. Climate change and rising wildfires have exposed firefighters who use PFA-containing chemicals such as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) in their work.

Miriam Diamond at the University of Toronto who conducts human epidemiological studies on PFAS told the CBC recently that Canada is “conducting an experiment in real-time on the health of our population.” She urges the country to ban all non-essential PFAS.

Only a handful of forever chemicals currently are being studied in Canada and the United States. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are no longer being manufactured but persist in the environment. Other PFAS are still manufactured and are not necessarily being studied for toxicity impacts on humans and the surrounding environment.

Risk levels can be determined by exposure duration and amount. Age, sex, ethnicity, health status and genetic disposition are other determining risk factors

The most common health issues linked to PFAS include:

Problematic thyroid function  – eight different PFAS can change thyroid hormone levels, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine. This can lead to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.

Child development – Pre-birth exposure can cause lower birth weights.  Other linked health conditions include early onset of puberty, increased risk of obesity, bone issues and behavioural changes.

Increased cancer risk – the National Cancer Institute has reported PFAS exposure linked to increased risk of Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney, ovarian, prostate, testicular and thyroid cancers.

Decreased immune function and the ability to fight off disease – A National Toxicology Program study recently has shown that PFOA and PFOS exposure can prevent your body from fighting infections. Child exposures to PFAS may also reduce immune system response to vaccines.

Reproductive issues – studies have shown that PFAS can reduce sperm quality and counts, and make it more difficult to get pregnant. During pregnancy, exposure to PFAS has been linked to an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Reducing PFAS Exposure

If after reading the above I have increased your anxiety levels, I understand. You should note, however, that the health impacts of forever chemicals are subtle and slow and accumulate with repeated exposures. So your best way to limit the risk is to know when you are being exposed and by what. If you are not working in a manufacturing plant where PFAS are used, you are likely less exposed. If you are not a firefighter or in the military, you are less exposed. If you don’t live in the Great Lakes region of North America, you are likely less exposed.

You can minimize PFAS risk for yourself and your family by doing the following:

• Test your local water source or use certified water filters that eliminate PFAS.
• Avoid nonstick cookware.
• Avoid stain-resistant coatings on furniture and rugs.
• Use non-PFAS containers for drinking at work or even when going for takeout. Glass containers are PFAS-free.
• Pay attention to health advisories about PFAS in agricultural products and water sources.