How to reduce exposure to forever chemicals

‘Forever Chemicals’ (per/polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS) have been hitting the headlines in the US for some time but it’s hitting our shores too with a parliamentary enquiry announced this week [1].

This class of chemicals originated in the 1930s with PCTFE and PTFE and others that have had broad-ranging applications.

PTFE was used in the Manhattan Project and made it from wartime to dinnertime with a consumer-friendly name of ‘Teflon’.

Low levels of these highly toxic chemicals have been found in water tables in Australia, with higher concentrations near manufacturing, defence, and fire-fighting sites.

Evidence is building that these chemicals are highly carcinogenic with a whole raft of adverse health outcomes on our fertility, metabolic health, liver function, and immune system.

‘Dark Waters’ on Netflix tells the harrowing story of how DuPont was finally pursued to stop poisoning communities near their PFAS manufacturing sites and ‘How to Poison a Planet’ is coming out soon on Stan. I expect PFAS to continue capturing our attention.

Tips for reducing your exposure to PFAS chemicals

It’s impractical to fully avoid PFAS exposure but here are three core strategies to reduce exposure:

• Cooking: Replace Teflon/PFAS pans with steel, copper or ceramic.

• Fabric protection: Ditch (responsibly) old cans of Scotch Guard and others using PFAS before the local ban [2].

• Water filter: Pick one that specifically filters for PFAS (the irony isn’t lost on me that many high-quality water filters use a plastic polypropylene membrane).

It’s everywhere and it’s not going away (great idea DuPont) but we can reduce the accumulation in our body by donating blood [3].

Though saunas appear useful for BPA, there’s no evidence that it works for PFAS but don’t let this hold you back from a sweat sesh. 

Donating blood regularly may provide a whole range of other benefits, likely as it helps reduce the accumulation of unbound iron [4][5][6][7][8].

Iron is an essential nutrient but an overload of unbound iron can increase oxidative stress and inflammation, which generally increases disease risk.

The evidence is mixed with potential conflating variables, so the true reason for reduced all-cause mortality among regular blood donors remains inconclusive [9].

Work with your doctor to monitor ferritin and other blood panel markers if you want to explore donating blood regularly and avoid adverse effects (excess iron depletion).

Post-donation recovery tips include skipping the lollipop from the nurse and focusing on rehydrating, eating clean and doing low-intensity cardio. Listen to your body before lifting heavy but 48 hours seems to be a good rule of thumb.

This post contains general information about health and wellness practices. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be treated as such. Please consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new health regimen. This information is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.