New article about Human Health Risks from Perfluorinated Compounds - PFCs represent 100s of chemicals used in consumer products, in kids school uniforms, in camping gear & sports clothing, in drilling and fracking fluids. This new article by Dr. Philippe Grandjean and Dr. Richard Clapp: Changing Interpretation of Human Health Risks from Perfluorinated Compounds is well worth a read and a real indictment of our regulatory approach to toxic chemicals..... particularly as the perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) represent a group of 100s of chemicals that are used in so many industries, consumer products and appliances, including in clothing like kids school uniforms, in camping gear and sports clothing, in cookware and are even released direct to the environment in drilling and fracking fluids. It is well worth a read and a real indictment of our regulatory approach to toxic chemicals..... particularly as the perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) represent a group of 100s of chemicals that are used in so many industries, consumer products and appliances, including in clothing like kids school uniforms, in camping gear and sports clothing, in cookware and are even released direct to the environment in drilling and fracking fluids. The perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have long been know to be immunosuppressants and in regard to cancer, evidence from animal studies dates back to the late 1970s, specifically pancreatic tumors and hepatocellular carcinomas in animals. The recent C8 Health Study investigating a U.S. community contaminated by one of the PFC producers found a significant positive exposure-response relationship between PFOA and kidney cancer. A population-based case-control analysis supported the association between PFOA exposure and both kidney and testicular cancer and suggests an association with prostate and ovarian cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Even today, chronic toxicity studies are incomplete, and a carcinogenicity assay has not yet been carried out. We all carry PFCs in our bodies and our babies are born prepolluted with these persistent, highly toxic industrial chemicals. Yet, information on their uses in products is kept secret by outmoded national laws that protect confidential business information as simply claimed by the affected industries. Many of the PFCs are formulated into polymers that industry has long claimed simply dont break down. Australia still permits companies to self assess their polymer products. Yet, the U.S. has recently changed its polymer exemption policy because the USEPA obtained data which suggested that fluoropolymers may degrade and release fluorochemical residual compounds into the environment. Once released, they persist in the environment as they have no natural processes to break down as well as bioaccumulating in living things. So the USEPA decided that the manufacturing, processing, distribution in commerce, use, or disposal of fluoropolymers could present an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment under the terms of the polymer exemption rule. These are a nightmare group of chemicals. We already succeeded in getting one sub group listed on the Stockholm Convention but this represents only the tip of the iceberg. And while a trickle of countries and states begin to ban individual PFCs, we know US companies are in China trying to convince them to establish more PFC production facilities. But moving the location of the facilities achieves nothing as PFCs are transboundary moving in air, water, animals and products. So some advice, when you buy clothing, furniture, carpets and they include a stain resistant claim, demand to know what product was used ? when you buy cook wear and it has a coating demand to know how was it made, when you buy house paint, tiles, etc ... and when government and CSG & shale companies claim their products are non toxic, demand of them to guarantee that no PFCs were used. In nearly all cases, those you ask wont know but it is time retailers and users found out and we work together to ensure that PFCs are no longer an accepted part of global commerce and our 21st century lives. publichealthreports.org/issueopen.cfm?articleID=3285
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 01:50:23 +0000
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