The Problem with PFAS in Consumer Products

From food packaging and personal care items to cleaning products and fire-fighting foam, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are everywhere. These ubiquitous substances belong to a large class of persistent “forever” chemicals that have contaminated water supplies and soil nationwide and are linked to cancer, reproductive problems, weakened childhood immunity, and a variety of other alarming health and environmental effects. PFAS are used in both consumer and industrial products, but many applications of PFAS already have viable alternatives or are not essential for product performance — offering opportunities for manufacturers to shift to safer ingredients.

Since there are thousands of PFAS chemicals and a wide range of use applications, avoiding them can be a challenge for both consumers and manufacturers. In fact, people can be unwittingly using products containing these chemicals: producers of raw materials are often not required to disclose their proprietary formulations to product manufacturers, who then cannot disclose the ingredients to consumers.

The two most widely used long-chain PFAS — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) — have largely been phased out of use in American manufacturing. However, evidence shows that replacement chemicals with carbon chains shorter than eight carbons long possess the same harmful health and environmental effects as the legacy PFAS they are replacing. While only seven PFAS chemicals are formally classified as hazardous, growing research suggests that the entire class of PFAS are likely to be hazardous, emphasizing the need for market transformation.

Green Seal just announced a prohibition on all PFAS in certified cleaning and personal care products, making the organization a leader in addressing these harmful “forever chemicals.” Because Green Seal evaluates 100% of a product’s formula, all the way down to the raw material components, products certified to Green Seal’s updated standards will be verified to be PFAS-free and to meet one of the highest benchmarks for health and environmental protection in the marketplace.

Federal and most state regulations have yet to catch up with emerging science on the adverse effects of PFAS as a chemical class. For now, manufacturers and consumers must turn to voluntary leadership standards like Green Seal’s for assurance that products are PFAS-free.

The Environmental Concerns of Forever Chemicals

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of 12,000-plus chemicals as defined by the EPA CompTox database. Carbon-fluorine bonds make PFAS extremely effective at repelling oil, water, and heat. But this strong bond prevents PFAS from degrading in the environment, with evidence that some could persist for hundreds of years.

PFAS have been used in American-made products since the 1940s, and people now interact with them in a wide range of materials, including food and product packaging, paint, stain- and water-resistant textiles, cookware, personal care products, cosmetics, and cleaning products. Over time, the chemicals have leached into Americans’ soil, water, and even blood – in fact, PFAS were detected in the breast milk, umbilical cord, or bloodstreams of 98 percent of participants in one Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

Since they do not naturally biodegrade, PFAS are problematic throughout their lifecycle, from production to use and disposal. Emissions pollute the air at manufacturing sites; PFAS in consumer products leaches into groundwater from landfills; and burning PFAS waste releases toxic gases.

Once they are in the environment, PFAS bioaccumulate in plants and animals with alarming effects. Studies indicate that chronic exposure to PFAS can harm the immune system of sea otters, the kidney and liver function of bottlenose dolphins, and the brain, hormonal system, and reproductive system of polar bears. The chemicals continue to accumulate up the food chain, impacting a wide range of wildlife, pets, and humans.

Health Impacts of PFAS

In addition to the multitude of environmental implications, PFAS are associated with increased risks of prostate, testicular, and kidney cancer, and harm to both the endocrine system (responsible for the body’s hormones and metabolism) and the reproductive system. Evidence also shows a link between PFAS exposure and decreased immune responses, including the body’s ability to develop beneficial antibodies in response to vaccines.

Subgroups of PFAS chemicals have also been shown to affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. Additionally, though more research is needed, recent studies show that higher exposure to PFAS may also increase both the chance of COVID-19 infection and the severity of symptoms if infection occurs. Long-term PFAS exposure from environmental contamination is linked to thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, increased cholesterol, low birth weight, and other health impacts.

Building a PFAS-Free Future

Eliminating PFAS from the supply chain for consumer and professional care products is a critical step in protecting human health and avoiding further environmental contamination. Barring faster regulatory action, it is up to manufacturers to lead on eliminating these chemicals in their supply chains, and consumers to demand PFAS-free products.

Green Seal is taking a product-category approach to developing PFAS restrictions as part of a multi-year phased initiative to ensure that certified products in all categories have leadership restrictions on PFAS. This approach is critical to ensure Green Seal’s standards effectively address manufacturing and use considerations that vary by product category, including exposure pathways, functional performance, and regrettable substitutes.

Green Seal’s updated leadership standards offer manufacturers and consumers a reliable way to ensure cleaning and personal care products are PFAS-free. The faster we work together to move toward healthier, more sustainable alternatives, the better off people and the planet will be.