Skillets that refuse to let your scrambled eggs stick! Leggings that wick away your pilates sweat! Couch fabric that puts up a fight against your puppy’s muddy paws!
These are just a few of the joys of modern living thanks to PFAS, aka per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a manmade class of chemicals that companies have been using in products for decades to make our lives easier.
The compounds, which are also known as “forever chemicals” because they break down so slowly, can be found in everything from cookware to carpets to food packaging. They resist stains, oil, grease and water, making them a dream come true for consumers who want to spend less time cleaning or caring for their purchases.
However, even small amounts of PFAS can be toxic, and larger levels have been linked with an array of negative health effects, including cancer, liver and kidney disease, and birth defects. And they’re everywhere. The Environmental Protection Agency notes, “Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many 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.” In fact, one recent study found that more than 200 million Americans may have PFAS in their drinking water.
So what can we do to limit the amount of forever chemicals we’re coming in contact with?
That’s what we, Raj Punjabi-Johnson and Noah Michelson, the co-hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast, asked Tasha Stoiber, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, when she recently dropped by our studio to chat.
Press play to listen to the full episode about forever chemicals and what you can do to lessen their impact on you:
“People should definitely live their lives [and not catastrophize too much],” Stoiber told us. “When we think about chemical exposures, the health effects are related to exposure over time. Oftentimes, it’s a number of years of exposure.”
However, the health threats are very real, which means we should be doing whatever we can to limit how often we come in contact with PFAS — especially because, Stoiber noted, there are really small things that we can do that will make a difference.
“One of the things that I like to recommend since it’s just so easy, is that washing your hands before you eat can greatly reduce chemical exposures in your body since things like flame retardants and other things stick to dust — they get on our hands or whatnot,” Stoiber said. “Then, when we eat, we’re exposed to it. if you’re washing your hands before you eat, it’s reducing not only germs, but some of these chemical exposures as well.”
Another excellent tip? Vacuum more.
“Chemicals in your home products — they don’t stay there. They are shed out. They tend to deposit in dust around your house. So get out your vacuum, fitted with the HEPA filter, and vacuum as much dust as you can.”
You can also check out EWG’s tap water database, which reveals which chemicals have been found in your area’s water supply, and use a water filter, because even low levels of PFAS in drinking water may be unsafe.
“Your standard regular conventional Brita filter can reduce some [PFAS], but it wasn’t designed specifically for PFAS,” Stoiber told us. “But there are other pitcher filters … there are other under-sink filters that will work pretty effectively to reduce a lot of the PFAS in your drinking water. Your multi-stage carbon filter works pretty well, and reverse-osmosis [filtering] is the most effective. It can be a little bit more expensive compared to the other filter types, but the [reserve-osmosis] filters work really well to reduce PFAS.”
Of course, the fewer items we own with forever chemicals in them in the first place, the better off we’ll be. So, avoid buying products that claim to be “stain-resistant” or “waterproof,” as these claims are most likely made possible by forever chemicals.
We also chatted with Stoiber about her take on the risks of using scented candles, the recent controversy over black plastic spatulas in the kitchen, and much more.
Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.
Make sure to subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” on whatever podcast platform you prefer so you don’t miss a single episode from our brand-new third season. And check out some of our favorites, including how to apologize or vanquish your credit card debt; how to find love online or overcome anxiety; tips for online shopping, taking care of your teeth and pooping like a pro; secrets to booking and staying in a hotel; how to deal with an angry person; how to make friends as an adult; everything you need to know about protein; getting your best workout, plus much more.
For more from Tasha Stoiber, head here.
Have a question or need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.
