Environment – Toxic shockers 

It is not widely known, but there are toxic “forever chemicals” that take thousands of years to break down. They accumulate in the environment, in our bodies and in the bodies of animals. They are regular fixtures in our homes, cookware, clothes and other everyday items.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemical compounds that have been produced since the 1950s to make heat, stain and water resistant coatings. There are about 4000 types of PFAS, and when some have been banned overseas, another similarly toxic variant takes its place. They are used for firefighting, as waterproofing and as protectants on raincoats, carpets and furniture. They have become ubiquitous in the modern home.

It’s been known for decades that PFAS and other variants such as PFAO and PFOS are carcinogenic, so that when you cook with PFAS-coated kitchen equipment and burn or scrape it, you’re possibly ingesting cancer-causing toxins. They are used in cosmetics, plastic water bottles, grease-proof paper, and even to line fast-food containers – as if the health impacts from junk food itself weren’t bad enough.

PFAS have been regularly used in firefighting foam, and even though two types of PFAS were banned in New Zealand in 2011, our environmental standards are low. Those contaminants already in the environment disperse, bioaccumulate and take thousands of years to break down, so their legacy lingers. Chemical companies who have tested PFAS levels in their employees’ blood have found all of them are contaminated. Further studies found that some PFA variants are in the blood of 99.8 per cent of Americans.

In New Zealand, PFAS use on Ohakea and Woodbourne airbases is known to have contaminated freshwater bores. Contamination exceeding environmental and public health guidelines has been found in Ngataringa Bay in Devonport, from the naval base. It’s also been found around Whenuapai, around airports and petrochemical processing plants. It’s so pervasive, it is found miles away from point sources, for example in water off Whangaparaoa. At Ohakea, the water, soil and grass are contaminated so badly that alternative water supplies have been needed, and it’s not even safe for some locals to eat eggs from chooks grazing on grass.

PFAS can affect natural hormones, cause cancers, obesity, immune system problems, fertility issues and pregnancy problems – including stillbirths, low birth weights, birth defects, and delayed development and growth.

They can be passed on through breastmilk.

The higher up the food chain, the worse things are. Recent research by the Coastal Science Research Team at Massey University, found common dolphins with levels of PFAS as high as anywhere in the industrial world. PFAS are a pervasive hidden toxin which require more attention.