Known in the scientific world as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), forever chemicals have been used in consumer products for around three quarters of a century. Because they do not degrade easily, they are persistent and often dangerous pollutants.
The far-reaching consequences of this phenomenon were recently explored by Panorama, the BBC’s flagship documentary series, in an episode entitled ‘The Truth About Forever Chemicals’[1]. Dr Sabine Donnai, one of our guests in 2024, was among the key contributors.
Dr Donnai is an expert in preventive healthcare. As she explained at our event, her passion is to stop people from falling ill in the first place – as opposed to trying to treat them only when they are already unwell.
Panorama tasked her with testing presenter Catrin Nye for traces of PFAS. As Dr Donnai warned at the outset, she and her team have never encountered anyone who does not exhibit traces of forever chemicals.
A PFAS level below two nanograms per millilitre of blood is broadly considered safe. Catrin was found to have 9.8 nanograms per millilitre – a level “most likely” to have an impact on her health.
Dr Donnai told the shocked mother-of-two: “It would have been higher before your pregnancies, for sure. And you will have passed some on to your children, for sure.”
The PFAS “family” encompasses around 10,000 chemicals. These can be found in a vast array of consumer goods, including clothes, packaging, carpets, electronics and even medical equipment.
As Dr Donnai told our audience at The Value of Health: “Unfortunately, we live in a world that’s extremely toxic. There’s just no comparison with 150 or 200 years ago. If I think about the amount of toxins I’ve been in contact with even since I woke up this morning – 50 or 60 of them – it’s just frightening.”
The likelihood of anyone completely avoiding PFAS – or, indeed, removing every trace of them from their body – is practically nil. Yet Dr Donnai, founder and Chief Executive of Viavi, a leading business in the field of “healthy longevity”, believes everybody can take meaningful steps to reduce their exposure.
First and foremost, it is vital to recognise the major PFAS sources in a household. These are likely to include non-stick cookware, non-eco-friendly cleaning products and certain cosmetics.
Eating organic foods and increasing fibre intake can also help. So can simple measures such as ventilating rooms every day. Scrutinising labelling and ingredients is another good habit to form.
In short, this is a question of lifestyle choices for individuals. “Are we going to be able to bring the level to zero?” Dr Donnai asked during her Panorama appearance. “Unlikely. But we will be able to reduce it over the next two to three years with a strategy.”
Nineteen months on from our The Value of Health event, it is clear – not to mention encouraging – that awareness of the wide-ranging effects of PFAS is continuing to grow. Crucially, so are the related concerns.
The European Commission is currently consulting on an outright ban on PFAS[2]. Meanwhile, the UK government is weighing up the possibility of imposing selected restrictions[3].
As Panorama reported, chemical companies argue that safer substitutes are not yet available. They say regulators and industry figures must work together to ensure a suitable transition period until appropriate alternatives are ready to come to market. One way or another, though, positive change appears inevitable.
[1] See, for example, BBC iPlayer: ‘Panorama: The Truth About Forever Chemicals” – https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002n2hr/panorama-the-truth-about-forever-chemicals.
[2] See, for example, European Chemicals Agency: “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)” – https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/perfluoroalkyl-chemicals-pfas.
[3] See, for example, UK Parliament: “Addressing the risks from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances” – https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9078/addressing-the-risks-from-perfluoroalkyl-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas/.