[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: 26 compounds studied

[Lenny Siegel]

PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Found in Tap Water Linked to Cancer Risks

BY Mike Ludwig
Truthout
March 8, 2020

For the first time, scientists reviewed 26 types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and found that they all display at least one characteristic of cancer-causing chemicals that can alter crucial bodily functions. The new study comes on the heels of alarming laboratory tests that detected many of these “forever chemicals” in tap water sampled across the country and suggest that fluorinated compounds in the PFAS family have contaminated virtually every major source of drinking water in the United States.

PFAS are in a broad group of chemicals used in an array of consumer products and industrial processes for their nonstick, stain-repellent and waterproofing properties. The substances trace their chemical roots back to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the chemical originally used to make Teflon for non-stick cookware.

PFOA and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the chemicals originally used to make 3M’s Scotchgard, were phased out after PFAS pollution contaminated local communities and raised mounting environmental health concerns. Both PFOA and PFOS are categorized as PFAS, but today, there are hundreds of other PFAS chemicals. The industry has introduced dozens of new compounds it claims are safer for humans and the environment because they made up by shorter, less-complex chains of fluorinated carbons.


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For the entire article, see
https://truthout.org/articles/pfas-forever-chemicals-found-in-tap-water-linked-to-cancer-risks/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=fe85d5d7-2573-4f84-806a-b96f3f87a281

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Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel at cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org