In water, clothes, packaging and even in your omelette: the places where the persistent PFAS chemicals are hiding, why it's hard to give them up and how you can still avoid the health hazards
By: Tomer Atir, Zveta - news agency for science and the environment

Have you already eaten this morning's omelette? Appetite! If you are an average consumer, you probably made it on a "non-stick" pan - a pan with a miraculous property that occurs thanks to a chemical compound of the type PFAS. It is true that the "non-stick" pans have made our lives in the kitchen easier and more relaxed, and you may have even managed to forget about the experience of scrubbing the pan in the sink with steel scotch, but is the health price we may pay worth it?
The PFAS compounds are chemical compounds developed in the fifties of the last century whose main properties are high heat resistance and oil and water repellency. Therefore, they are mainly used for the production of flame retardant materials such as fire extinguishing foam and of oil and water repellent surfaces in the food and textile industries. This is a group of chemicals that are very stable in the environment and do not break down naturally - which gives them the nickname "The eternal chemical". On top of that, they have the ability to migrate to great distances away from the focus of their use. The compounds can reach our bodies through the pan, through consumption of animal food and through the drinking water. At the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Health published report On the subject of the presence of the PFAS compound in drinking water, in which he described the dangers of exposure to chemicals that were already known before: damage to pregnancy and fetal development, cancer, weakening of the immune system, obesity and an increase in cholesterol.
to invent what does not exist
"Unbreakable compounds are the creation of man," says Yaeli Etstein, a biologist specializing in environmental health, winner "environmentalists" of 2023 and the founder of Critical mass community for healthy consumerism. When the compounds were invented "it was one of the achievements of progress: to invent chemicals that do not exist in nature, and that have amazing properties." But this feature is also found in our soil because in nature there are no microorganisms that know how to break them down. The result is that, on the one hand, the use of compounds is convenient and makes life easier for us, according to Etstein, to the point of relieving pain when inserting a PFAS-coated needle into our body; And on the other hand, "before using them, we didn't check what happens after we use them, what happens when they reach the environment, and whether we can collect them when the time comes when we discover that they are harmful."
At the beginning of the month, the Ministry of Environmental Protection updated the regulation policy for the use of PFAS in industry (for example, fire-fighting foams). The regulation includes reducing use, increased supervision and appropriate treatment of waste with PFAS. This regulation is supposed to reduce the environmental and health damage from the use of PFAS, but does not concern clothes and kitchen utensils for example. Therefore, says Dr. Tamar Berman, Director of Environmental Health Risk Assessment, Ministry of Health, "The impact on the public is mainly in an indirect way, that is, a reduction of environmental pollution and not from direct contact with products containing PFAS." According to her, in Israel the regulation focuses on replacement or reduction The contaminations, in emissions or waste management and wastewater monitoring. For example, following the monitoring of the ministry, notes Berman, water sources were disqualified due to PFAS contamination in places like On the other hand, "in Europe, the regulation restricts or prohibits the use, import and marketing of chemicals".

The findings show a correlation between high exposure to chemicals and a decrease in sleep duration and quality. Photo: pixabay
From the kitchen to the bed
New research Reveals a connection between the chemicals and another health problem: sleep disorders. The study tracked exposure data to these timeless chemicals and sleep measures among young people aged 19-24 years. Among the reasons for concern about the contribution of PFAS to sleep disorders, they cite possible damage to the activity of the substances dopamine, glutamate and serotonin - neurotransmitters that are important for communication and coordination between body cells. Also, the PFAS compounds may cause a disturbance in the calcium balance and a decrease in immune and metabolic function. Therefore, the presence of PFAS contaminants in the blood was tested against self-reports of sleep by the subjects.
The findings show a correlation between high exposure to chemicals and a decrease in the duration and quality of sleep - an impairment that over time may trigger additional health problems related to brain and heart function, mood and daily activities. "Exposure to PFAS compounds is problematic because these substances accumulate in the body and their impact increases over the years following higher concentrations," Atstein says. According to her, the effect of the chemicals manifests itself at an older age.
obey the manufacturer's instructions
Etstein offers two possible actions that can be taken in the private space to reduce exposure to PFAS damage. The first is to avoid, as much as possible, products that contain the compounds. "It's the best because that way we don't support a polluting industry." It is important to note that the chemical industry is an industry that consumes a lot of energy in the production processes, so the damages are not limited to health problems but also include pollutant emissions. In addition to that, according to her, there is no reason to have non-stick pots because the pots in which stews and soups are usually prepared have substitutes made of better materials: stainless steel, cast iron, galvanized aluminum, copper and even glass. In France, she emphasizes, chefs use a method to achieve the non-stick property through a process of burning cooking oil (seasoning).
A second course of action is to manage usage. "Good use of products is also long-term use. We buy pans that within two years are no longer non-stick. Where did all this material go?" Etstein explains that smart and healthy use can maintain the non-stick property for many years. Correct use is based on the manufacturer's instructions: use of wooden spoons that do not scratch, avoiding excessive heating and preferring slow cooling without a "shock" of cold water that cracks the coating. She also suggests washing dishes with a silicone sponge, which is reusable and not saturated with chemicals like the common kitchen Scotch. "If we want to reduce our exposure to chemicals," she concludes, "we need to change our consumption habits." In other words, maybe your consumer choices can save your night, and your health.
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