Sounding the Alarm on Forever Chemicals
“When it comes to harm from PFAS, it is much more than our own health that’s at stake. It is the health of our children, grandchildren and generations to come—indeed, of every creature on our planet.”
It’s in our water, our food, and so many other products we use on a daily basis, from non-stick pans to popcorn bags. And it’s making us really sick.
More and more scientists are becoming concerned that PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals”, are impacting human health. Evidence is growing that links these everyday exposures, particularly to endocrine disrupting chemicals (or EDCs), are linked to cancer, infertility, birth defects, asthma, allergies, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and more.
In this episode, I talk to one of the world’s leading environmental health scientists and advocates on the impact of forever chemicals, and what we can do about it. Arlene Blum is the founder and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute.
Topics covered:
What are PFAS and why do they exist?
How do forever chemicals get into our bodies, and why does it matter?
Her work in the 70’s getting the gene-altering agent Tris, known to cause cancer, banned from the use in children’s pajamas
Why policymakers are so slow to take action
How to keep yourself safe from forever chemicals
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