February 10, 2023

PFAS – The Toxic ‘forever chemical’ Hiding in Plain Sight

Do you know where your PFAS are?

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Two of the main PFAS are perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. These chemicals, also dubbed “forever chemicals” and have been used in consumer products since the 1940’s. Many of them linger on in our bodies and in our environment long after the products that contained them have broken down.

These chemicals are in an alarming number of everyday products, including: dental floss (allows the floss to glide easily between your teeth) food packaging, cosmetics, non stick cookware, stain resistant carpets and clothing and even drinking water. They are literally everywhere, contaminating our soil, air and water. The Government of Canada recognizes 4700 of these substances, (1) whereas the United States recognizes over 9000 (2).

What’s the problem with PFAS you ask? “Epidemiological studies have revealed associations between exposure to specific PFAS and a variety of health effects, including altered immune and thyroid function, liver disease, lipid and insulin dysregulation, kidney disease, adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes and cancer.” (3). This is even more of an issue for children as their ability to rid the body of toxin is not as developed as that of an adult. To compound the problem, the current mechanism of how the body metabolizes and removes these compounds is unknown. What is known however, is that these compounds bioaccumulate in the tissues of the body over time. A tissue study done in 2013 showed that all 99 samples of autopsy tissue tested contained PFAS. The tissues tested were from the brain, liver, lung, bone and kidney. (4)

So, what can you do? For starters, doing your best to reduce and eliminate your exposure to these compounds. Again, this will prove difficult as there are thousands of them and they are in everything. Some simple things to do are:

using natural non-toxic cleaning products
drinking clean water (distilled or reverse osmosis – remember to add some minerals)
using natural personal care products
avoid non-stick cookware

Equally important would be to make sure all of your organs of elimination are working well. These include the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, lymph and colon.

Currently, the production of some PFAS substances (eg. PFOS and PFOA) are banned in Canada. However, the reality is, that with over 4700 derivatives, it’s very difficult to regulate. Unfortunately products that contain PFAS are still being imported from other countries.

Concerned Canadians need to educate our federal, provincial and municipal government officials and ask them to make this a priority and to implement necessary regulations.

Canadian news about further regulations is expected in a report sometime in 2023. (5) We must work together to ensure the elimination of these dangerous chemicals globally.

~Dr Paul Dixon DC~