Water Filtering is a MUST!

Aug 23, 2023

We know our planet is dirty. Some of this chemical soup is particularly dangerous. For example, take PFAS. These can keep you fat, frustrated, and more at risk for various health issues.

What are PFASs? These are per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). They are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Fluoropolymer coatings can be in a variety of products.

Big exposure comes from stain-resistant cookware. The Pounds Lost Study showed that women with higher levels of PFAS in their bloodstream couldn’t keep the pounds “off” that they lost in a healthy weight loss program.

Why? PFAS makes fat cells act more nastily. Larger, harder to get rid of, ready to return when you seem to just “look” at food.

PFAS is an acronym for a class of toxic man-made chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS contains chains of carbon and fluorine atoms, which together form one of the strongest bonds in nature. Because the bonds are so strong, PFAS don’t break down easily, causing them to build up in the human body and the environment. Thus, they have come to be known as “Forever Chemicals.”

PFOA, PFOS, and GenX

PFAS chemicals have grown into a class of over 12,000 chemicals, which include older long-chain chemicals such as PFOA and PFOS, and newer chemicals made of short-chain bonds such as GenX.

PFOA and PFOS are two of the oldest and most studied PFAS chemicals and were phased out of production in the U.S. by 2015 due to concerns about health risks at ultra-low levels of exposure.

However, they are still being used in production outside the U.S. and have become major contaminants in our environment and drinking water due to historical use.

After years of inaction, on September 6, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally designated PFOA and PFOS as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law.

Fast forward to the 21st century… Until recently, the PFAS chemical PTFE, used in manufacturing Teflon, was manufactured using PFOA. But since 2013, the Teflon brand has manufactured PTFE without PFOA due to the U.S. phase-out of PFOA.

GenX chemicals are now being used in place of PFOA for much PTFE production. So when you replace one toxic PFAS chemical with another toxic PFAS chemical, the end result is that nothing has really changed. No better. No safer.

When something is advertised as “PFOA-free” or “PFOS-free”, but not actually PFAS-free, know that it still likely contains other toxic PFAS chemicals.

Look for PFAS-free!

PFAS are carcinogens and endocrine disruptors that are linked to a myriad of health harms. These chemicals work in parts per million, meaning very, very low dosages.

PFAS may lead to:

Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or higher risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
Interference with the body’s natural hormones. May be contributing to lower levels of testosterone in young males and even estrogen in young females.
Dings in kids’ brain development. Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections.
Increased obesity with harder to lose weight.
Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women.

The science is so strong that even our own Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has acknowledged the health harms.

Where Are We Exposed to PFAS?

Working in occupations such as firefighting or chemical manufacturing and processing.
Using cookware coated with Teflon nonstick surfaces.
Eating certain foods contaminated with PFAS, including fish caught in U.S. waterways.
Swallowing contaminated soil or dust.
Breathing air contaminated with PFAS.
Using cosmetics, personal care, household cleaners, or other products made with PFAS or that are packaged in materials containing PFAS.

Contaminated drinking water is now an international issue.

New data released by the EPA shows the PFAS drinking water crisis is much worse than previously thought. The new data shows that an estimated 26 million people in hundreds of communities have been drinking water contaminated with PFAS.

The EPA requires water utilities to test drinking water for 29 PFAS compounds. This initial set of data reveals the presence of PFAS in 431 water systems, but the true scale of the crisis is yet to be known. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has incorporated these latest test results into an interactive map of known PFAS contamination sites.

Be sure to look up your address to see if your water has been tested.

For years, EWG has fought the PFAS contamination crisis, educating the public, advocating for policy change, and bringing you the resources you need. But our fight is clearly far from over. Check out EWG’s latest report on this new EPA data, look up your ZIP code in our interactive PFAS map, and explore other resources to protect yourself.

Water exposure includes water from your shower (go to my website drlindseyberkson.com and click on Products We Love to get a link to the inexpensive but really effective Berkey Shower Water Filter, change every 6 months), water released into your home air from dish and clothes washer, and what you drink.

Consider whole home filtering units which I helped come up with some of these first ideas in Santa Fe, NM while writing my environmental book, Hormone Deception.

Dr. B.

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