How to Avoid PFAS

By Kevin Loria | Consumer Reports | May 17, 2022

Read the full article by Kevin Loria (Consumer Reports)

"Consumer Reports recently found PFAS—chemicals that are linked to a growing list of health risks and that linger in the environment for years—in the packaging at many chain restaurants. We previously found them in drinking water, too. The chemicals—officially known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—are also used in a host of other products, from nonstick pans to water-resistant clothing.

All these findings have prompted many readers to ask us if there are ways they can limit exposure to PFAS.

Yes, according to Alan Ducatman, MD, professor emeritus at West Virginia University’s School of Public Health in Morgantown and an expert in chemical toxicology who studies the health effects of PFAS. You can do that, he says, by “thinking about the products you’re purchasing, thinking about the things we put on and in our bodies.”

Organizations like the Green Science Policy Institute (GSPI) have put together guides that consumers can use to limit their exposure, by seeking out PFAS-free products, says Jamie DeWitt, PhD, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at East Carolina University in Greenville."