In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Katie Pelch discuss the harmful and pervasive effects of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." Found in various consumer and industrial products, contaminating air, water, and soil, they never break down. Dr. Pelch works for the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and has been studying PFAS throughout her career. Along with their many uses PFAS have been linked to serious health issues, including cancer and reduced vaccine effectiveness. The NRDC advocates for banning non-essential uses of PFAS and encourages public awareness and involvement in regulatory efforts. Dr. Pelch shares with us the prevalence of PFAS, its dangers, and the regulation or lack thereof.
Key Takeaways:
When you heat the nonstick cookware above a certain temperature, some of the PFAS can migrate from the pan and into the food you're going to eat, or they could enter the air that you breathe.
Exposures from the air that we breathe and from our skin have generally been less well studied, but there is evidence to suggest that PFAS do enter our skin.
Per the CDC, at least 98% of people in the United States have PFAS in their bodies.
The EPA stepped up in a big way this year by finalizing the regulation of six PFAS in drinking water. This ban was preceded by many states proactively setting enforceable limits to PFAS in drinking water, some banning the unnecessary use of them entirely by 2032.
"Not only are PFAS persistent in the environment, but they're also persistent in our bodies, and in most cases, we don't have a great way to get PFAS out of our bodies. So the two most highly studied PFAS can last in our bodies for years." — Dr. Katie Pelch
Episode References:
Dark Waters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9071322/
The Devil We Know: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7689910/
Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/
PFAS Exchange: https://pfas-exchange.org/
Connect with Dr. Katie Pelch:
Professional Bio: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/katie-pelch
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiepelch
Connect with Therese:
Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net
Threads: @critically_speaking
Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net
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