What are PFAS? Forever Chemicals
WATER contaminated with PFAS chemicals and your Immune System
"This global situation is scary for everyone and it's even scarier knowing your family has been exposed to chemicals that may hurt the immune system."
"In 2014, my world changed forever when I learned my family was exposed to contaminated drinking water containing high levels of PFAS. Since then, I haven't stopped worrying about my family's health," says Andrea Amico, a New Hampshire resident and PFAS community advocate turned national activist.
Andrea isn't alone. She's one of many leaders across
the country who live in PFAS-exposed communities that fear for the lives of their families and how their PFAS exposure will affect their ability to fight the common cold, the flu and COVID-19.
PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals used since the 1940s to make products non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant. They're used in rain jackets, carpets, upholstery, cookware, fast food packaging, dental floss, and much more.
PFAS also have been linked to many health effects including high cholesterol and cancers, even at low levels of exposure.
Most concerning during this global situation, however, is that exposure to PFAS suppresses the ability of the immune system to make antibodies—the part of the immune system critically important in fighting the Cold, Flu, COVID-19 and other infectious agents.
Our studies have found that laboratory animals exposed to PFAS have decreased antibodies, verifying what we have seen in PFAS-exposed people and making us confident that PFAS are toxic to the immune system.
Just last month, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry issued a statement about the potential intersection between PFAS exposure and COVID-19, the Common Cold and cited findings linking PFAS exposure to reductions in antibody responses to vaccines and resistance to infectious diseases.
Unlike other synthetic chemicals that affect the immune system, such as polychlorinated biphenyls and trichloroethylene, PFAS are unregulated by the U.S. government; currently there are no federal drinking water standards for PFAS.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a drinking water "health advisory level" of 70 parts per trillion for two individual PFAS, but this advisory isn't an enforceable standard, so public water supplies aren't required to monitor or treat water to remove PFAS. Furthermore, this guideline only addresses two of more than 5,000 individual PFAS and is not low enough to protect the sensitive immune system, especially in children.
But together we can create a better future.
The responsible thing to do is shift to healthier products through changes in policy and management, consumer demand and education, investment in safer alternatives, and community action. These shifts require bold, coordinated action, but if we work together, we can create a healthier and more resilient future.
For a better choice of products and a responsible immediate action visit our Shop
For more information of how spread is the contamination of PFAS check out: TheErinBrokovichreport