A PFAs hero. An ordinary man and an extraordinary achievement

We’ve written many times about the chemicals Erin Brockovitch exposed many years ago now. The family of ‘forever chemicals, PFOAs and PFAs.

They are now virtually everywhere, mainly due to the many ways they disperse. There’s even PFAs contamination on the summit of Mt. Everest.

Today I discovered this amazing story about a fireman, with no scientific qualifications, changed a nation’s policy on PFAs management, and in so doing, obviously saved many, many people from possible cancer.

When you’ve read and absorbed the article from ABC News Australia, you can drop into our website and see how you can remove PFAs from your life.

More on PFAs and PFOAs

PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. They have been used in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams, and products that resist grease, water, and oil.

The most commonly studied PFAs are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The next most commonly studied are perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). PFOA and PFOS have been phased out of production and banned from use in the USA and in Australia, but other countries may still manufacture and use them.

During production and use, PFAs can migrate into the soil, water, and air. Most PFAs (including PFOA and PFOS) do not breakdown, so they remain in the environment. Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, PFAs are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment. Some PFAs can build up in people and animals with repeated exposure over time.

Many scientific articles have been published about PFAs exposure and health effects. While it is difficult to show that substances directly cause health conditions in humans, scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAs in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals. More research is needed to better understand the health effects of PFAS exposure.

New kinds of PFAs are being developed. Some of these may have properties similar to the existing PFAs, and some may be less persistent in the environment. There are very few scientific studies on new PFAs, so more research is necessary to discover whether they may be a health concern.