SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Two children drink water outdoors.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Study Ties 'Forever Chemicals' Exposure to Billions in US Health Costs
One co-author said the findings show the cost of cleaning up and replacing PFAS "is ultimately justified when considering the tremendous economic and medical risks of allowing them to persist in the environment."
Jul 26, 2022
Research published Tuesday warns that "forever chemicals" used in everyday products could lead to tens of billions of dollars in medical costs in the United States, globally infamous for its for-profit healthcare system.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy."
The new study--published online in the journal Exposure and Health--focuses on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of over 4,700 manufactured chemicals that persist in the human body and environment for long periods.
Because of their use in everything from firefighting foam to food packaging to furniture, the substances have been found in drinking water, soil, and people.
The researchers, led by Vladislav Obsekov of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, calculated how many Americans were likely exposed to PFAS in 2018 using blood samples from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, then examined studies from the past decade of diseases tied to the chemicals.
PFAS have been connected to various health issues, including multiple types of cancer, childhood obesity, and damage to immune and reproductive systems. The study estimates the economic burden of 13 medical conditions that may result from daily PFAS exposure.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy," said study co-author Linda G. Kahn, an assistant professor at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, in a statement.
The researchers determined that 13 conditions potentially resulting from PFAS exposure could cost Americans $5.5 billion to $63 billion over the lifetime of the current population. Among the five conditions with the strongest connections to the chemicals, the biggest contributors to the economic toll were childhood obesity, followed by hypothyroidism in women.
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, another co-author and NYU Langone professor, said that "our results strongly support the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the safe allowable level of these substances in water."
The federal agency last month took what green groups called "baby steps" on drinking water contamination by common PFAS, issuing four health advisories: two lowering the levels for PFOA and PFOS and two establishing new guidance for GenX and PFBS.
Consumer Reports senior staff scientist Michael Hansen said at the time that the EPA's move "is a major victory for science and represents an important first step to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water," but also called on the agency "to adopt legally binding standards."
Alongside the new advisories in June, EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced a new grant program to invest $1 billion to reduce PFAS and other contaminants in drinking water.
"Based on our estimates, the cost of eradicating contamination and replacing this class of chemical with safer alternatives is ultimately justified when considering the tremendous economic and medical risks of allowing them to persist in the environment," Trasande said Tuesday, adding that his research team now plans to study the long-term risks of PFAS.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Research published Tuesday warns that "forever chemicals" used in everyday products could lead to tens of billions of dollars in medical costs in the United States, globally infamous for its for-profit healthcare system.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy."
The new study--published online in the journal Exposure and Health--focuses on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of over 4,700 manufactured chemicals that persist in the human body and environment for long periods.
Because of their use in everything from firefighting foam to food packaging to furniture, the substances have been found in drinking water, soil, and people.
The researchers, led by Vladislav Obsekov of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, calculated how many Americans were likely exposed to PFAS in 2018 using blood samples from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, then examined studies from the past decade of diseases tied to the chemicals.
PFAS have been connected to various health issues, including multiple types of cancer, childhood obesity, and damage to immune and reproductive systems. The study estimates the economic burden of 13 medical conditions that may result from daily PFAS exposure.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy," said study co-author Linda G. Kahn, an assistant professor at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, in a statement.
The researchers determined that 13 conditions potentially resulting from PFAS exposure could cost Americans $5.5 billion to $63 billion over the lifetime of the current population. Among the five conditions with the strongest connections to the chemicals, the biggest contributors to the economic toll were childhood obesity, followed by hypothyroidism in women.
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, another co-author and NYU Langone professor, said that "our results strongly support the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the safe allowable level of these substances in water."
The federal agency last month took what green groups called "baby steps" on drinking water contamination by common PFAS, issuing four health advisories: two lowering the levels for PFOA and PFOS and two establishing new guidance for GenX and PFBS.
Consumer Reports senior staff scientist Michael Hansen said at the time that the EPA's move "is a major victory for science and represents an important first step to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water," but also called on the agency "to adopt legally binding standards."
Alongside the new advisories in June, EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced a new grant program to invest $1 billion to reduce PFAS and other contaminants in drinking water.
"Based on our estimates, the cost of eradicating contamination and replacing this class of chemical with safer alternatives is ultimately justified when considering the tremendous economic and medical risks of allowing them to persist in the environment," Trasande said Tuesday, adding that his research team now plans to study the long-term risks of PFAS.
From Your Site Articles
Research published Tuesday warns that "forever chemicals" used in everyday products could lead to tens of billions of dollars in medical costs in the United States, globally infamous for its for-profit healthcare system.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy."
The new study--published online in the journal Exposure and Health--focuses on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of over 4,700 manufactured chemicals that persist in the human body and environment for long periods.
Because of their use in everything from firefighting foam to food packaging to furniture, the substances have been found in drinking water, soil, and people.
The researchers, led by Vladislav Obsekov of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, calculated how many Americans were likely exposed to PFAS in 2018 using blood samples from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, then examined studies from the past decade of diseases tied to the chemicals.
PFAS have been connected to various health issues, including multiple types of cancer, childhood obesity, and damage to immune and reproductive systems. The study estimates the economic burden of 13 medical conditions that may result from daily PFAS exposure.
"Our findings add to the substantial and still-mounting body of evidence suggesting that exposure to PFAS is harming our health and undermining the economy," said study co-author Linda G. Kahn, an assistant professor at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, in a statement.
The researchers determined that 13 conditions potentially resulting from PFAS exposure could cost Americans $5.5 billion to $63 billion over the lifetime of the current population. Among the five conditions with the strongest connections to the chemicals, the biggest contributors to the economic toll were childhood obesity, followed by hypothyroidism in women.
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, another co-author and NYU Langone professor, said that "our results strongly support the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to lower the safe allowable level of these substances in water."
The federal agency last month took what green groups called "baby steps" on drinking water contamination by common PFAS, issuing four health advisories: two lowering the levels for PFOA and PFOS and two establishing new guidance for GenX and PFBS.
Consumer Reports senior staff scientist Michael Hansen said at the time that the EPA's move "is a major victory for science and represents an important first step to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water," but also called on the agency "to adopt legally binding standards."
Alongside the new advisories in June, EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced a new grant program to invest $1 billion to reduce PFAS and other contaminants in drinking water.
"Based on our estimates, the cost of eradicating contamination and replacing this class of chemical with safer alternatives is ultimately justified when considering the tremendous economic and medical risks of allowing them to persist in the environment," Trasande said Tuesday, adding that his research team now plans to study the long-term risks of PFAS.
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.