The studies collectively looked at nearly 30,000 samples, and many linked fetal exposure to PFAS to health complications in unborn babies, young children and later in life. The studies’ findings are “alarming,” said Uloma Uche, an environmental health fellow at the Environmental Working Group, which analyzed the data from the peer-reviewed studies. “Even before you’re born, you’re already exposed to PFAS,” he said. PFAS, or per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 12,000 chemicals commonly used to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally and accumulate in the human body and the environment. The federal government estimates they are in 98% of Americans’ blood. The chemicals are linked to birth defects, cancer, kidney disease, liver problems and other health issues, and the EPA recently found that virtually no level of exposure to some types of PFAS in water is safe. Humans are exposed to ubiquitous chemicals through multiple pathways. PFASs are estimated to contaminate drinking water for over 200 million people in the US and have been found at alarming levels in meat, fish, dairy, crops and processed foods. They are also found in a number of everyday consumer products, including non-stick cookware, food packaging, waterproof clothing, stains such as Scotchgard, and some dental floss. PFASs in products can be absorbed through the skin, ingested or inhaled as they detach from the products and move into the air. “The presence of these chemicals also poses a threat to pregnant women, who serve as the first contacts with PFAS before they pass from the womb to the developing fetus via the umbilical cord,” Uche said. Scientists focused on umbilical cord blood because the cord is the lifeline between mother and baby. The findings are particularly concerning because fetuses are “more vulnerable to these exposures because their developing bodies don’t have the mechanisms to deal with the chemicals,” Uche added. Studies have linked fetal exposure to higher total cholesterol and triglycerides in babies and changes in their body’s bile acids, which can lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular problems later in life. Some studies have also linked cord blood exposure to disturbances in thyroid glands and colon microbial cells. PFAS can remain in the body for years or even decades, and some studies link fetal exposure to effects throughout childhood and adulthood, including cognitive function, reproductive function, weight changes, eczema and impaired balance glucose. Studies have identified about 35 different kinds of PFAS compounds, including some newer chemicals that industry and some regulators claim don’t accumulate in the body. However, science is limited in the number of PFAS compounds it can detect in the blood, so it is very likely that many more of the chemicals are passed on to fetuses. The EWG said the best protection is for women to avoid using products containing PFAS and to use reverse osmosis granular activated carbon filters that can filter out the chemicals if they are in the mother’s drinking water. However, Uche said the findings underscore the need for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban all non-essential uses of PFAS, establish limits for all PFAS compounds in drinking water , to stop industrial discharges. and set limits for PFASs in food. Despite overwhelming evidence that all PFASs studied are environmentally persistent and toxic, the FDA and EPA have so far resisted banning nonessential uses of the chemicals. The EPA unveiled a broad plan last year designed to curb chemical use and limit exposure, but public health advocates say it falls far short of what the situation calls for. It also focuses heavily on four of the 12,000 PFAS compounds. “I’m a mother of two – I have a seven-year-old and a three-year-old, and knowing that I could have exposed my children to PFAS is concerning,” Uche said. “With this review we are telling the EPA and FDA to take simple steps to reduce exposure to PFAS and protect our children.”
