Summary of Makers of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Covered Up the Dangers:
UC San Francisco researchers have analyzed documents from chemical companies DuPont and 3M dating from between 1961 and 2006, revealing that both firms knew the health risks associated with PFAS (“forever chemicals”), which are used in clothes, food, and household goods, but suppressed this information, similarly to the tobacco industry. The chemicals persist in the environment because they are highly resistant to breaking down. The documents donated to the researchers by the producers of the documentary “The Devil We Know” show that DuPont failed to report its findings on PFAS toxicity to the Environmental Protection Agency, as required by law.
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The Chemical Industry Like the Tobacco Industry: Suppressed Information on Health Risks of PFAS Chemicals
Widely Used Chemicals Pose Health Risks
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly resistant chemicals used in clothing, household, and food products. Unfortunately, PFAS substances resist breaking down, calling them “forever chemicals.” As a result, they are now ubiquitous in people and the environment, posing health risks that associations and agencies have only recently become aware of. Unfortunately, a new analysis of secret industry documents by researchers at UC San Francisco revealed that the chemical industry suppressed their knowledge of the severe health harms caused by exposure to PFAS, similar to tobacco industry tactics.
Chemical Industry Tactics Delayed Public Awareness of PFAS Toxicity
The study, published in Annals of Global Health, examined documents from DuPont and 3M, the largest manufacturers of PFAS, to analyze the tactics the industry used to delay public awareness of PFAS toxicity. Despite industry knowledge of the risks, little was publicly known about the hazards of PFAS for the first 50 years of use. The researchers found that the chemical industry deliberately suppressed the information about the dangers of PFAS, preventing the public, regulators, and even their employees from knowing the risks. These suppression tactics delayed regulations governing their use, resulting in significant health risks for people in the environment.
PFAS Contamination Is Everywhere
PFAS substances resist breaking down in the environment. Thus, they are now ubiquitous in people and the environment. The risks resulting from PFAS contamination are alarming. The PFAS substances can enter the body through contaminated drinking water and food. The risks to public health include thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and kidney damage, among other health impacts.
Suppressed Information to Protect a Product
The paper documents a timeline of what industry knew versus public knowledge. It also analyses the chemical industry’s strategies to suppress information or protect their harmful products. Some key examples include:
• DuPont and 3M learned in 1980 that two of eight pregnant employees who had worked in C8 manufacturing gave birth to children with birth defects. The company did not publish the discovery or tell employees about it. The following year, an internal memo stated, “We know of no evidence of birth defects caused by C-8 at DuPont.”
• As media attention to PFAS contamination increased following lawsuits in 1998 and 2002, DuPont emailed the EPA asking, “We need EPA to quickly (like first thing tomorrow) say the following: That consumer products sold under the Teflon brand are safe and to date, no human health effects are known to be caused by PFOA.”
• In 2004, the EPA fined DuPont for not disclosing their findings on PFOA. The $16.45 million settlement was the most significant civil penalty obtained under U.S. environmental statutes. But it was still just a tiny fraction of DuPont’s $1 billion annual revenues from PFOA and C8 in 2005.
The Importance of This Research
The researchers emphasize that their findings reveal significant failures in how the U.S. currently regulates harmful chemicals. As many countries pursue legal and legislative action to curb PFAS production, this timeline can aid them in understanding the industry’s failures and the need for more aggressive chemical regulation.
Conclusion
The chemical industry’s suppression of information on PFAS substances underscores the risks to public health posed by pollutants. Similar to what happened in the tobacco industry, suppressing information that could cost the industry billions exposes people, who become unwitting victims of this negligence in the name of profit. It is vital that policymakers better understand and work to address the potential risks posed by chemistries such as PFAS substances. Effective legislative and regulatory measures can help protect public health and mitigate the long-term environmental impacts of such substances.
