How to stay safe from PFAS chemicals in your home

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Your house is teeming with PFAS 'forever chemicals' By Jeffrey Kluger Editor-at-Large I’m loyal to the type of dental floss I buy—same brand month after month, year after year. Or at least I was loyal. That changed in the past week when I began researching a story on PFAS in personal and household products. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are also known as “forever chemicals,” because that’s pretty much how long they linger in the environment. These persistent manufacturing chemicals, which have been linked by the EPA to a long list of health effects, including high blood pressure, an increased risk of certain cancers, developmental delays, and more. PFAS are used in everything from clothing to furniture to pizza boxes to—yes—dental floss, which is why I’ve now switched to a brand that advertises itself as PFAS-free. Some other danger zones include: Beauty and personal care products: These pose special risk because makeup and shampoo are used on or near the eyes—mucus membranes that can easily pick up contaminants. Cell phones: The fingerprint-resistant coating on your screen is, unfortunately, made with PFAS. Carpeting: Carpets are designed to be stain- and water-resistant, and the chemicals used to give them those properties are filled with PFAS. While some companies began phasing out PFAS in carpeting in 2019, most people don’t replace theirs every year and still have carpeting that was laid down before the switch began. The bad news: the “forever chemicals” aren’t going anywhere soon. The good news: more and more products are going PFAS-free. READ MORE   Share This Story

What Else to Read The Next COVID-19 Vaccine Should Only Target the XBB Strain, WHO Advises By Alice Park U.S. health officials will consider the advice when they select strains for the next COVID-19 shot. Read More » Pfizer's RSV Vaccine for Pregnant Women Wins FDA Panel Support By Nacha Cattan/Bloomberg All 14 members of the FDA advisory committee recommended the vaccine as effective for protecting newborns from RSV. Read More » Polypharmacy Killed My Son. He's Not Alone By Andrea Sonnenberg 'We must demand the use of evidence-based treatments in lieu of simply prescribing multiple medications,' writes Andrea Sonnenberg. Read More » Americans Urged to Cancel Surgeries in Mexico Border City after Meningitis Cases By Associated Press The five people who became ill traveled to Matamoros, Mexico for surgical procedures that included an epidural. Read More » Maine Confirms Fatal Powassan Virus Case. What to Know About the Rare Disease By Simmone Shah Like Lyme disease, Powassan is transmitted through ticks. While there are only a handful of U.S. cases every year, the virus can be deadly. Read More »

AN EXPERT VOICE "[The pandemic accelerated] a broader trend of people being interested in information about their own bodies, the function of their bodies, their physiology, their health." —Thomas McDade, biological anthropologist at Northwestern University

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