Bandages that you simply apply to open wounds might include poisonous polyfluoroalkyl or perfluoroalkyl chemical compounds, recognized collectively as PFAS. Mamavation, in partnership with Environmental Well being Information, examined quite a lot of bandage manufacturers, revealing indications of PFAS in additional than half.1
Bandages are solely the newest shopper good discovered to include the toxins. Also known as “without end chemical compounds,” PFAS are artificial compounds which are extraordinarily persistent within the atmosphere and human physique, that means they do not break down and might accumulate over time.
PFAS are recognized for making surfaces slippery and are present in a variety of merchandise, together with nonstick cookware, stain-resistant materials and water-repellent clothes, in addition to in sure cosmetics and merchandise that resist grease, water and oil, together with meals packaging. Now, it seems, your bandages may be contaminated.
Do Your Bandages Include PFAS?
Mamavation despatched 40 bandages from 18 manufacturers to a laboratory licensed by the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA) for testing. The bandages had been bought from shops resembling Walmart, CVS, Ceremony Assist, Goal or Amazon. Indications of PFAS had been present in 65% of the bandages examined. Additional, out of the 40 samples, 26 detections revealed natural fluorine — a marker for PFAS — above 10 elements per million (ppm).
“Ten elements per million is the restrict of detection, and that’s a big quantity,” examine creator Terrence Collins, professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon College, informed TIME. “We all know that with endocrine disruption, there isn’t a secure dose. They fiddle with hormonal management.”2
Collins stated it’s potential the chemical compounds may leach into the physique not solely through the pad positioned over an open wound but in addition by way of the pores and skin through the adhesive flaps. “It’s a must to assume that the physique can have an affinity for a mess of PFAS compounds.”3
Amongst bandages marketed to folks with black or brown pores and skin tones, 63% had indications of PFAS, together with 10 detections out of 16 bandages examined with natural fluorine above 10 ppm. General, natural fluorine within the bandages ranged from 11 ppm to 328 ppm.4
“As a result of bandages are positioned upon open wounds, it’s troubling to study that they might be additionally exposing youngsters and adults to PFAS,” stated Linda Birnbaum, scientist emeritus and former director of the Nationwide Institute of Environmental Well being Sciences. “It’s apparent from the information that PFAS will not be wanted for wound care, so it’s essential that the business take away their presence to guard the general public from PFAS and choose as an alternative for PFAS-free supplies.”5
Whereas the lab exams didn’t separate the adhesive from the bandages, PFAS was detected within the adhesive, sticky flaps of the bandages as nicely within the absorbent pads. “Even in case you suppose it is a small publicity, you add up lots of small exposures, [and] you will have a giant publicity,” Phil Brown, director of Northeastern College’s Social Science Environmental Well being Analysis Institute.6
Band-Assist, Care Science, Curad and CVS Well being had been among the many makers of bandages with among the highest PFAS ranges, although ranges different extensively, even amongst completely different merchandise made by the identical total model.
Contact Lenses and Different PFAS Sources That Could Shock You
Bandages are only one route of PFAS publicity that individuals are uncovered to repeatedly. Earlier examined by Mamavation has revealed proof of PFAS in a variety of merchandise, together with:7
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Contact lenses |
Pasta and tomato sauce |
Sports activities bras |
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Tampons |
Dental floss |
Electrolytes |
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Butter wrappers |
Quick meals packaging |
Diapers |
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Condoms |
Deodorants |
Interval underwear |
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Parchment paper |
Espresso filters |
Toddler automotive seats |
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Raincoats |
Bedding |
Kids’s clothes |
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Athletic put on |
Rest room paper |
Cookware |
When Mamavation despatched 18 contact lens manufacturers to an EPA-certified laboratory, all of them examined optimistic for fluorine, at ranges starting from 105 to twenty,700 ppm. Whereas 44% of the contact lenses examined contained fluorine at a degree over 4,000 ppm, 22% contained greater than 18,000 ppm.8 The contact lenses with the best natural fluorine ranges had been:9
- Alcon Air Optix Colours with Smartshield Know-how (20,700 ppm)
- Alcon Total30 Contact Lenses for Every day Put on (20,400 ppm)
- Alcon Air Optix (No Hydraglide) for Astigmatism (20,000 ppm)
What does this imply when it comes to your well being? Pete Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Well being Sciences, stated:10
“The presumption that these natural fluorine ranges measured in touch lenses are secure is laughable. Final summer season the EPA issued well being advisories in consuming for 4 frequent PFAS, starting from 0.004 elements per trillion (ppt) to 2000 ppt. EPA considers publicity beneath these thresholds to be secure for consuming water.
Whereas evaluating consuming ranges in water to concentrations in touch lenses is like evaluating apples to oranges, it’s value noting that all the contact lenses examined exceeded 100 ppm, which is equal to 100,000,000 ppt, or 50,000 occasions larger than the best degree deemed secure in consuming water by the EPA.”
Birnbaum additional informed Mamavation:11
“Your eyes are one of the delicate elements of your physique. Subsequently, it’s regarding to see the presence of natural fluorine, which is probably going a sort of PFAS, present in all gentle contact lens merchandise examined. What in regards to the concept of doing no hurt? Do we’ve got proof these merchandise are secure? A scarcity of security research doesn’t qualify as ‘security,’ which is what is occurring right here.”
Analysis that has been performed on PFAS and imaginative and prescient is trigger for concern. A big population-based examine performed in China discovered publicity to PFAS elevated the danger of visible impairment.12 The researchers steered PFAS might induce oxidative stress, with a detrimental impact on the eyes.
“PFAS are confirmed pro-oxidants and publicity to those rising pollution elicits DNA harm, lipid peroxidation, era of reactive of species (ROS), and inhibition of anti-oxidant enzymes, in addition to triggers signaling cascades like apoptosis,” they defined.13 Army members who had been uncovered to PFAS on army bases have additionally suffered from plenty of eye circumstances, together with myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia.14
Most Kale Contaminated With Endlessly Chemical substances
Greater than 12,000 chemical compounds make up the PFAS class. “What unites these chemical compounds is the presence of a carbon-fluorine bond which is likely one of the strongest in chemistry. This power can be the supply of those chemical compounds’ hazard: PFAS chemical compounds are extremely persistent within the atmosphere and have been accumulating in soils, waterways, and oceans over a long time,” based on Alliance for Pure Well being USA (ANH-USA).15
Publicity is so widespread that PFAS has been present in 97% of People.16 Within the human physique, PFAS have half-lives of two to 5 years.17 The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) is testing meals from the overall meals provide to estimate U.S. customers’ PFAS publicity from meals.18
To uncover extra about simply how widespread PFAS contamination is within the meals provide, ANH-USA analyzed conventionally grown and natural kale samples from 4 states — New York, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Two samples had been bought from a retailer in every state, a few of them unfastened leaves and others pre-packaged in a plastic bag or container.
Out of the eight samples, just one had no detectable PFAS. Among the many others, the best degree of whole PFAS was present in conventionally grown kale bought in a Georgia Publix retailer. Nonetheless, total, PFAS ranges had been larger in natural kale samples than standard samples.19
The European Meals Security Authority (EFSA) set a tolerable weekly consumption of 4.4 ng/kg body weight for PFAS. “Disturbingly, that is the equal of consuming two parts (67 g every) of kale with the identical degree as that discovered within the Publix retailer (GA) every week, implying any consumption above this quantity (from all sources) would equate to a possible well being threat,” based on ANH-USA.20
Regarding ranges of PFAS have been present in all kinds of different meals as nicely, together with peanut butter, pasta sauce and cooking oil, as an illustration.21 In one other examine, leafy greens grown inside 10 miles of a PFAS plant contained very excessive quantities — and even chocolate cake was contaminated.22
One cause why the meals provide is contaminated has to do with biosolids, poisonous human waste sludge that could be contaminated with PFAS that’s marketed as an reasonably priced fertilizer and unfold onto farmland.23 Water provides and waterways may be contaminated, such that consuming even one freshwater fish yearly may very well be harmful.24
PFAS Publicity Could Trigger Most cancers, Reproductive Results and Extra
PFAS might result in most cancers by inflicting modifications in epigenetics, immunosuppression, oxidative stress, irritation or through hormone and metabolomic pathways. An accumulation of epigenetic occasions induced by PFAS publicity can “synergistically amplify tumorigenicity and most cancers development,” researchers defined, including that immune system suppression and continual irritation additionally doubtless play a task.25
Publicity to excessive ranges of PFAS can be recognized to have an effect on the immune system, and proof from each human and animal research exhibits that such publicity might scale back your resistance to infectious illness.26 The EPA additionally acknowledges that PFAS publicity is dangerous and states that peer-reviewed scientific research have proven publicity to PFAS might trigger:27
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Reproductive results resembling decreased fertility or elevated hypertension in pregnant girls |
Developmental results or delays in youngsters, together with low beginning weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations or behavioral modifications |
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Elevated threat of some cancers, together with prostate, kidney and testicular cancers |
Diminished capability of the physique’s immune system to battle infections, together with decreased vaccine response |
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Interference with the physique’s pure hormones |
Elevated levels of cholesterol and/or threat of weight problems |
Tricks to Scale back Your PFAS Publicity
Since PFAS don’t have any style or odor, you’ll be able to’t detect it in shopper items. Filtering your consuming water is essential to keep away from this frequent route of publicity, as is avoiding stain-resistant, waterproof or nonstick merchandise, most of which include PFAS. To additional scale back your publicity, the Environmental Working Group recommends avoiding:28
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Objects which were pre-treated with stain repellants and opting out of such remedies when shopping for new furnishings and carpets. |
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Water- and/or stain-repellant clothes — One tipoff is when an merchandise made with synthetic fibers is described as “breathable.” These are sometimes handled with PTFE. |
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Objects handled with flame retardant chemical compounds, which embrace all kinds of child objects, padded furnishings, mattresses and pillows. As an alternative, go for naturally much less flammable supplies resembling leather-based, wool and cotton. |
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Quick meals and perform meals, because the wrappers are sometimes handled with PFAS. |
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Microwave popcorn — PFAS might not solely be current within the interior coating of the bag, it additionally might migrate to the oil from the packaging throughout heating. As an alternative, use “old school” stovetop popcorn. |
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Nonstick cookware and different handled kitchen utensils. |
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Oral-B Glide floss and another private care merchandise containing PTFE or “fluoro” or “perfluoro” elements. |
