Context

A new study revealed the presence of forever chemical ‘organic fluorine’ in bandages from some reputable brands including Band-Aid and CVS Health.

Bandages Causing Cancer? – Study Finds High Levels of Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Band-Aids

• Indicator: Organic fluorine is a strong indicator that bandages might also consist of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. 
• Bandages may have widespread  usage of fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) –  PFAS
• Sample: Around 26 bandages were tested and detectable levels of organic fluorine ranging from 11 parts per million to 328 ppm were found 
  • Mamavation’s testing keeps finding additional sources of exposure, such as items we eat, wear, or put on our bodies. 
• Study: The report is being prepared by Mamavation in partnership with EHN.org. 
• Bandages from 3M and Tru Colour, were free of organic fluorine and other harmful compounds.

Forever Chemicals: Per-and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

• These are a class of synthetic man-made chemicals also called “forever chemicals” because the bonds in their chemical compounds are so strong they don’t degrade down for hundreds to thousands of years. 
  • PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Example: Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
  • PFAS are a group of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals, according to a chemicals database (CompTox) maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• They are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.
• Found in: Fluoropolymer coatings can be in a variety of products and industries including,

• • Other Industries:  Clothing (active and sports wear), intimate hygiene products ( tampons, diapers, condoms, sanitary pads), papermaking, printing inks, sealants.  Recent studies have found PFAS in personal hygiene and care products such as cosmetics, dental floss, toilet paper and make up.
  • Health risk: They pose a negative health effect such as decreased immune system performance and vaccine response, infant and child learning and developmental issues, certain cancers, decreased fertility, endocrine disruption etc.
    • PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS are transferred to foetus through cord blood and to infant through breast milk

• Concerns: 

  • Widespread occurrence: PFAS  contaminated water or food is the most likely source of exposure, by using products made with PFAS, or breathing air containing PFAS. 
    • Studies find PFAS in the blood and urine of people with 97% of Americans having traces of PFAS in their blood.
  • Persistent: They  remain in the environment for an unknown amount of time as they do not break down in the environment easily.
  • Bioaccumulation:  Over time, people may take in more of the chemicals than they excrete, a process that leads to bioaccumulation in bodies. Also it  can move through soils and build up (bioaccumulate) in fish and wildlife.
  • Contaminate  drinking water sources: A study by the Environmental Protection Agency  found that about 31 percent of groundwater samples tested around the world  had PFAS levels considered harmful to human health.
  • Expensive detection:  Insitu methods of detection of PFAS  are still in the early stages of development. Current chemical and biological remediation technologies are expensive/not effective.

• What Can Be Done to Remove these Chemicals?

  • Filtering PFAS using activated Carbon: This technique is expensive and only filters out the contaminated water but the real challenge is the disposal of PFAS-loaded activated carbons. 
  •  Incineration: Most PFAS will break down completely at incineration temperatures around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,730 degrees Fahrenheit), but it’s energy intensive and suitable incinerators are scarce.
  • Upcoming developments:
    • Development of a supercritical water oxidation to destroy PFAS: High temperatures and pressures change the state of water, accelerating chemistry in a way that can destroy hazardous substances. 
    • Plasma reactors: It uses water, electricity and argon gas to break down PFAS. They’re fast, but also not easy to scale up.
    • Inhibitors: Scientists at the Michigan State University are working on materials which,  added to soil would prevent  plants from taking up PFAS, but it would leave PFAS in the soil.
    • Using  sodium hydroxideA paper published in the journal Science, shows how one class of PFAS can be broken down into mostly harmless components using sodium hydroxide, or lye, an inexpensive compound used in soap.

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