by Alexander Wimmer
Source: Environmental Working Group, interactive map of PFAS contamination in the U.S.
I first learned of PFAS, officially termed per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, last November at a screening of Dark Waters, a film that details a lawyer’s legal battle against DuPont, a corporation that has long manufactured these unregulated chemicals.
Dark Waters tells a disturbing story: PFAS are everywhere, and cause serious harm to human health, including to babies in the womb. This truth felt particularly uncomfortable as I watched the film sitting next to my pregnant wife. Upon returning home, I set out to investigate where these invisible threats might be hiding.
PFAS chemicals haven’t always been around. They are a byproduct of the World War II top-secret nuclear bomb operation known as the Manhattan Project. After the war, chemical companies began to profit by using PFAS to keep our eggs from sticking to the pan (Teflon) and our couches and carpets from getting stained (Scotchgard). Unfortunately for consumers, eagerness for profits did not translate into eagerness for accountability; just a few years later, when those same companies discovered the toxic effects of PFAS on human and environmental health, they chose to retain the top-secret approach of the Manhattan Project.
Epidemiology studies have now begun to bring what was hidden into the light, and PFAS chemicals – dubbed “forever chemicals” because they remain in the environment indefinitely – have been linked with low infant birth weights, birth defects, decreased immune system response, cancer, and thyroid problems. Seventy-four years after these chemicals entered the consumer market in the form of Teflon, one in three Americans drinks PFAS in their water, and 99 out of 100 Americans have it in their blood. Worst of all, pregnant mothers pass it to their unborn children.
As I worked to eliminate PFAS from my own home, I couldn’t help but wonder why unregulated toxic chemicals ended up in our cookware, food packaging, outdoor gear, household furniture, drinking water, and bodies in the first place. It turns out that for the most part, U.S. chemical regulations do not require companies to prove that chemicals used in everyday products are safe. This “safe until proven hazardous” approach means toxic chemicals can freely enter the consumer market.
Protecting my wife and child from these dangers required some lifestyle changes and a bit of work. To this effect, I drew some helpful guidance from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
Just as there are essential and non-essential workers during a pandemic, there are essential and non-essential items in life. Pope Francis recognizes that high demand for cheap, non-essential products has resulted in a “throwaway culture” that “quickly reduces things to rubbish” (LS 22). This culture is made possible by things like PFAS, which contribute to a life of ease by allowing low-quality, disposable products to mimic the performance of their durable, long-lasting counterparts. The first step in avoiding PFAS is rejecting the throwaway culture that seeks to make life easy at the expense of our health.
Pope Francis also speaks of integral ecology, a concept perhaps most simply communicated by the phrase, “Everything is connected” (LS 91). Chemicals like PFAS, which never break down in our bodies or the environment, lay bare the hidden intricacies and pathways which connect all living things. God formed us from the earth (Gen 2:7) and designed us to remain intimately connected to it. Our bodies are made of the food that we eat, and consuming polluted food and water results in polluted bodies. Understanding this interconnectedness is a key step towards a healthy ecological ethic.
Near the end of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis includes a word of hope. In a section titled “towards a new lifestyle,” he writes: “We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom” (LS 205). In other words, we have the power to make choices about our lives. Instead of continuing to allow convenience to dictate our decisions, we can limit our exposure to PFAS by taking up a healthier, simpler lifestyle.
Unlike most films, the story in Dark Waters is still being told. Before the closing credits, a blunt reminder comes across the screen: PFAS are in the blood of virtually every living creature on the planet. We’re all characters in the story; let’s work together to eliminate PFAS, create a better world, and write a happy ending.
Dark Waters tells a disturbing story: PFAS are everywhere, and cause serious harm to human health, including to babies in the womb. This truth felt particularly uncomfortable as I watched the film sitting next to my pregnant wife. Upon returning home, I set out to investigate where these invisible threats might be hiding.
PFAS chemicals haven’t always been around. They are a byproduct of the World War II top-secret nuclear bomb operation known as the Manhattan Project. After the war, chemical companies began to profit by using PFAS to keep our eggs from sticking to the pan (Teflon) and our couches and carpets from getting stained (Scotchgard). Unfortunately for consumers, eagerness for profits did not translate into eagerness for accountability; just a few years later, when those same companies discovered the toxic effects of PFAS on human and environmental health, they chose to retain the top-secret approach of the Manhattan Project.
Epidemiology studies have now begun to bring what was hidden into the light, and PFAS chemicals – dubbed “forever chemicals” because they remain in the environment indefinitely – have been linked with low infant birth weights, birth defects, decreased immune system response, cancer, and thyroid problems. Seventy-four years after these chemicals entered the consumer market in the form of Teflon, one in three Americans drinks PFAS in their water, and 99 out of 100 Americans have it in their blood. Worst of all, pregnant mothers pass it to their unborn children.
As I worked to eliminate PFAS from my own home, I couldn’t help but wonder why unregulated toxic chemicals ended up in our cookware, food packaging, outdoor gear, household furniture, drinking water, and bodies in the first place. It turns out that for the most part, U.S. chemical regulations do not require companies to prove that chemicals used in everyday products are safe. This “safe until proven hazardous” approach means toxic chemicals can freely enter the consumer market.
Protecting my wife and child from these dangers required some lifestyle changes and a bit of work. To this effect, I drew some helpful guidance from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
Just as there are essential and non-essential workers during a pandemic, there are essential and non-essential items in life. Pope Francis recognizes that high demand for cheap, non-essential products has resulted in a “throwaway culture” that “quickly reduces things to rubbish” (LS 22). This culture is made possible by things like PFAS, which contribute to a life of ease by allowing low-quality, disposable products to mimic the performance of their durable, long-lasting counterparts. The first step in avoiding PFAS is rejecting the throwaway culture that seeks to make life easy at the expense of our health.
Pope Francis also speaks of integral ecology, a concept perhaps most simply communicated by the phrase, “Everything is connected” (LS 91). Chemicals like PFAS, which never break down in our bodies or the environment, lay bare the hidden intricacies and pathways which connect all living things. God formed us from the earth (Gen 2:7) and designed us to remain intimately connected to it. Our bodies are made of the food that we eat, and consuming polluted food and water results in polluted bodies. Understanding this interconnectedness is a key step towards a healthy ecological ethic.
Near the end of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis includes a word of hope. In a section titled “towards a new lifestyle,” he writes: “We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom” (LS 205). In other words, we have the power to make choices about our lives. Instead of continuing to allow convenience to dictate our decisions, we can limit our exposure to PFAS by taking up a healthier, simpler lifestyle.
Unlike most films, the story in Dark Waters is still being told. Before the closing credits, a blunt reminder comes across the screen: PFAS are in the blood of virtually every living creature on the planet. We’re all characters in the story; let’s work together to eliminate PFAS, create a better world, and write a happy ending.