Scientists have connected several types of PFAS to fatal diseases, ultimately concluding that no degree of exposure to them in water is safe.
A group of roughly 12,000 chemicals known as “forever chemicals” or polyfluoroalkyl substances are frequently employed to create goods that withstand heat and water.
Researchers recently conducted a survey of the scientific literature from around the world and discovered “forever chemicals” in all 40 studies’ umbilical cord blood samples.
Scientists analysed almost 30,000 samples to determine the relationship between foetal PFAS exposure and health issues in unborn children. Over 200 million individuals in the US are thought to have their drinking water contaminated by PFAS, which are present in non-vegetarian cuisine at worrying levels.
PFAS in products can be absorbed via the skin as they separate from the products and travel through the air. Studies have connected foetal exposure to greater total cholesterol and triglycerides in newborns via altering the bile acids in their bodies.
According to Uloma Uche, an environmental health science fellow with the Environmental Working Group, which analysed the peer-reviewed studies’ data, “Even before you’ve come into the world, you’re already exposed to PFAS.”
According to Uche, the presence of these substances poses a risk to expectant mothers since they act as PFAS’ initial points of contact before they are transferred from the uterus to the growing foetus through the umbilical cord.
The discoveries are especially concerning because they can be passed from a mother to her infant because the cord is the lifeline between mother and baby.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
