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October 23rd, 2024
New research from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has linked common foods we regularly consume with increased levels of PFAS (i.e. “forever chemicals”) in the human body. The study examined plasma and breast milk samples in 3,000 pregnant women and found elevated levels of per- and ployfluoroalkyl substances in the samples of those who consumed coffee, red meat, eggs, rice, and seafood. PFAS are a class of over 16,000 compounds that do not effectively degrade in the environment and are linked to a wide range of concerning health complications, including hormone disruption and cancer. Decades of largely unregulated production of these chemicals have resulted in a nearly planet-wide contamination of our air, water, and food with these chemicals.
What’s worse is that, according to an investigation published by ProPublica and The New Yorker, 3M, one of the preeminent manufacturers of PFAS compounds, knew they were accumulating in the blood of the general public in dangerous ways but concealed that information from the public. The result is an epidemic of global proportions that some say will rival the public harm caused by asbestos and cigarettes. While the Dartmouth study provides insight into foods with higher levels of PFAS contamination, questions remain as to why these foods? Scientists have speculated that rice is likely contaminated because of PFAS in soil or agricultural waters, while paper filters have been implicated in potentially causing higher levels of PFAS contamination in coffee. Animal products can become contaminated if the pasture land is contaminated with PFAS or if the animals are fed from the ground treated with PFAS-fouled toxic sludge, which some farmers use as a cheaper alternative to fertilizer.
While questions remain about the reasons for this widespread contamination, what is clear is that this problem will only continue to get worse under the current state of PFAS manufacturing. These chemicals need to be highly regulated, if not eliminated altogether, to be kept from further destroying our air, water, and food. If you believe your health has been harmed by exposure to PFAS, you should contact an experienced law firm right away to explore your rights.
