PFAS and the MAHA movement: a story of contradictions
MAHA or Make America Healthy Again is in the news a lot recently. Secretary of State Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is pushing an agenda combining dubious vaccine skepticism with rather more sensible caution about food additives and adulteration. So, how does this impact the efforts to curb and reduce PFAS?
What are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of manmade chemicals. They have been widely used for decades because they have uniquely useful properties. These include being oil and grease resistant, waterproof, non-stick, and heat resistant.
Where are they found?
PFAS are found almost everywhere in our modern society. Some of the more common applications include:
- Non-stick surfaces
- Stain-resistant coatings
- Breathable waterproof membranes
- Coatings to make food packaging water and grease proof
- Surfactants in firefighting foams used to fight fuel fires
In addition, they are used in many industries, including the manufacturing of electronic components.
What are the health effects of PFAS?
PFAS have been linked to a whole variety of different health effects. Here are just a few of the more serious ones.
- Cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemia. PFAS is known to cause high cholesterol, inflammation, and hardening of arteries. All these significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
- Cancer. Some PFAS are proven to cause liver, kidney, and thyroid cancers, with women potentially at higher risk than men. There is also evidence linking PFAS to several other cancers.
- Problems during pregnancy. PFAS is known to adversely affect pregnant women. It can trigger dangerously high blood pressure and is shown to cause premature birth and reduced birth weight.
- Inflammatory bowel disease. There is some evidence that PFAS may be a significant trigger for debilitating inflammatory bowel disease. In particular, there seems to be a link between PFAS and ulcerative colitis.
PFAS is linked with many other health problems, including immunosuppression, childhood behavioral issues, and male infertility.
How do PFAS get into our food?
One of the biggest ways we are exposed to PFAS is through ingestion. That means in the food we eat and the water we drink. But how do PFAS get into our food and water?
Environmental pollution
Probably the biggest source of PFAS we consume is in polluted drinking water. PFAS compounds dissolve easily in water but take years to decompose in the environment. As a result, they steadily build up in the groundwater. In turn, this means they are found in both municipal and well water.
Food packaging
PFAS coatings are frequently applied to paper or cardboard food packaging to help make it more robust. The coating makes the paper greaseproof and waterproof. This includes disposable tableware, fast food packaging, and packaging for microwave popcorn.
Pesticides
Many pesticides include PFAS compounds as one of the active ingredients. Additionally, pesticides are often stored in containers that are lined with PFAS. which leaches into the pesticide. This can lead to ingestion of PFAS if you fail to completely wash it off your food.
Soil additives
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the solid waste in the water treatment works? The answer may disturb you: often this so-called sewage sludge or biosolids is dried out, sterilized and then sold to farmers to spread on their fields to improve the soil. This is a major source of PFAS, and can lead to PFAS entering the food chain directly or indirectly.
What should be done about PFAS?
Across the globe we are seeing efforts to reduce the use of PFAS, especially so-called legacy compounds like PFOS and PFOA. However, often all that happens is that the chemical industry replaces one form of PFAS with another, or with a very similar compound.
Within the US, the EPA has proposed statutory limits on certain PFAS in water supplies. Originally, these limits were due to take effect this year, but that has been postponed until 2031. Meanwhile, limits on PFAS in the EU will take effect in 2026. Canada prohibited some PFAS some years ago, and defined several other families of PFAS as toxic chemicals, requiring enhanced reporting and oversight. And in
What has this administration actually done about PFAS?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the current administration is not very coordinated in its actions and rhetoric on PFAS. On the one hand, we have Kennedy’s HHS pursuing the MAHA agenda. On the other hand, we see industry pushing back on controls and regulations.
MAHA agenda
The MAHA agenda seeks to improve the health of America by reducing or banning harmful food additives among other steps. Clearly, PFAS should be one of the compounds to be removed from food and food packaging. However, at the same time the EPA has bowed to industry pressure and has significantly watered down (pun intended) the proposed legislation on PFAS in water supplies.
Research grants
Meanwhile, the US DOD is funding research into technologies to help destroy PFAS. This reflects the huge concern about the levels of PFAS contamination at many US military bases. Yet at the same time, many research grants have been reduced, especially those looking at environmental pollutants.
Only time will tell what comes of the current administration's efforts related to MAHA, environmental chemicals, and public health. In the meantime, you can take control of your own health by better understanding the impact of PFAS and other toxic chemicals.
