PFAS Products

California PFAS Ban

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made toxic chemicals known as forever chemicals. The risks of PFAS are relevant since they sink into the groundwater or are released into the air.
They can travel and bioaccumulate; they build up in the human body over time.
PFOA, also known as C8 because of its eight carbon molecules, is found in the blood of 99.7% of Americans: High cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension, thyroid disease, 
testicular, and kidney cancer.

PFAS History 

  • 1951 3M Started to sell PFAS to Dupont to make Teflon, found in many products including non-stick pans!
  • 1981 3M knew that PFAS created birth defects, and Dupont found that their employees had 7 birth defects among their employees. They have been dumping PFAS in the water for years without tracking.
  • 1993 It could have been replaced with a less toxic alternative, but they didn’t want to lose Teflon’s $1 billion in annual revenue.
  • 2015 Dupont promised to phase out C8, but they came out with another unsafe alternative: GENX, a different chemical under a different name: Chemours

EPA requires testing for chemicals only when it’s been evidence of potential harm. This self-regulating company rule is not enough!

Brands with PFAS 

🚫 Avoid Teflon pans, waterproof fabric, clothing, and shoes! 

Check the ewg map. Many brands have used this toxic material, including:

❌ Wolverine Shoe brand used this chemical in its waterproof Hush Puppies. Pick organic shoes.

❌ Lululemon: MATE is the safer organic Lululemon replacement 

❌ The North Face

❌ Patagonia: In some of their items

❌ Starbucks

❌ Subway: in their food wrappers

❌ Chick-fil-A: sold in their food wrappers

PFAS Laws

👏 To prevent companies from continuing to sell us toxic PFAS undisclosed in products in fancy packaging, California stepped in on this fight with signed legislation that bans the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS from paper, paperboard, or plant-based food packaging, utensils, and paper straws, effective January 1, 2023.
The first step is consumer protection, not company profit. 

  • ✅ AB 347 : the first signed bill that amends existing PFAS law to provide enforcement mechanisms for PFAS bans and labeling requirements as applied to “covered products,” including juvenile products, textile articles, and food packaging.
  • ✅ AB 2515: second bill, Take All Menstrual Product-PFAS Out Now (TAMPON) Act, forbids manufacturers from manufacturing, selling, or distributing menstrual products that contain regulated PFAS.  Starting January 1, 2025, regulated PFAS will include substances that are intentionally added to the product. On January 1, 2027, the definition of regulated PFAS will expand to include the presence of PFAS in a product or product component at or above a limit to be determined by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

PFAS in Bottled Water 

According to CBS News: The sparkling water brand with the highest level of PFAS detected by Consumer Reports was Coca-Cola’s Topo Chico, which is popular in western U.S. cities such as Austin, Texas.

It had PFAS levels of 9.76 parts per trillion, the testing found.

 

❌ PFAS: The most common PFAS found in drinking water are PFOS and PFOA. Called ‘forever chemicals’ because they take so long to biodegrade, PFAS can cause serious health effects including cancer, hormone disruption, & liver and immune system damage. PFAS drinking water standards: state-by-state regulations

 

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According to Consumer Reports’ testing, the other sparkling waters besides Topo Chico that include measurable amounts of PFAS are: 

 

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palm oil-free plastic free retinol free zero waste brand type

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