Rain jackets banned? Pfas’Forever chemicals’ threat to health
Are waterproof jackets at risk of being banned from the market? Some experts are wondering this after concluding that i Pfas – abbreviation indicating perfluoroalkyl substances (also known as ‘forever chemicals‘, due to their tendency not to dissolve), used for the production of technical and outdoor clothing, are highly harmful to human health and the environment.
Pfas are used for water-repellent garments because they are very effective in waterproofing surfaces. Not just outdoor clothing. They are used in many other consumer fields, from food packaging to furniture and kitchenware.
The US magazine Outside and a study published in eBioMedicine in 2023 highlighted health risks linked to the associations found between exposure to PFAS and some forms of cancer (from that to the thyroid to that to the kidneys). PFOA and PFOS – among the best-known ‘forever chemicals’ – used in non-stick cookware, firefighting foam and waterproof fabrics, were considered dangerous by the EPA and phased out of production in the United States in the mid-2000s.
On the front linked to the production of waterproof garments, Dr. Stuart Harrad, professor of environmental chemistry at the University of Birmingham (UK), explained that Pfas contained in tissues can also enter into circulation in our body, absorbed by sweat and skin, until they circulate in our blood .
“I would be concerned about potential dermal exposure if Pfas in clothing came into direct contact with the skin. However, as we do not know which PFAs are present in these garments, we cannot say with certainty what the health effects might be and whether these might occur at dermal exposure levels that might result from wearing such garments,” Stuart Harrad said. to Outside magazine.
In the United States, according to what Safer States reports. California will ban the sale of most fabrics containing these substances, New York will limit their use in clothing and Colorado will ban them in furniture. PFAS may be banned in a total of 35 states in the USA.