Most of the rainwater that falls on the planet is already contaminated at unsafe levels with chemicals used in non-stick cookware, fire-fighting foam, and waterproof clothing, to the point that there is no place on Earth where mankind can escape them.
The health impact of these substances, which because they are so difficult to eliminate, they are called “eternal chemicals”, It is not yet fully understood, but may include the development of diseases such as cancer, infertility, and pediatric developmental delays. The phenomenon was described by researchers at Stockholm University.
“I’m not saying we’re all going to die from these effects,” said Ian Cousins, lead author of the study. But now we’re in a place where you can’t live anywhere on the planet and be sure that the environment is safe”, he warned. “We are no longer in this safe space of operations, now we have all these chemicals. These safety tips, we can no longer reach them,” said the researcher.
The product in question is called PFAS, short for the scientific name for “poly and perfluoroalkyl substances,” and It is also used in food packaging, paper, and paints., for instance. It has now contaminated soils in the United States and the amount present in rainwater “far exceeds” US safety levels.
Ian Cousins admits that PFAS must exist to better preserve food: “It is not because there is something wrong with the risk assessment. It’s just because you can’t apply these things. It is simply impossible, from an economic point of view, to apply any of the guidelines.” The solution, says the researcher, is to produce less of these chemicals.
As the researcher explains to BBC News, the problem with PFAS is not so much its level of toxicity —the most dangerous have already been withdrawn from production chains, although they are still present in contaminated soil—, but the quantities in which they appear in the waters. And this is especially so because the particles are difficult to destroy.
Source: Observadora
