The Dangers of PFAS and How to Get Rid of Them

PFAS are everywhere. Your laundry detergent, your furniture, and your food are loaded with these toxic chemicals and they are wreaking havoc on your Immune System! "What the heck is a PFAS?" you might say, I thought you'd never ask. Let's peel back this wrapper and see what's inside.

With all the toxins out there these days, it may seem daunting to learn about yet another new one. However, the chemicals known as “PFAS” have actually been around for over fifty years.

They are substances that are included in hundreds of products and in everything from non-stick pans to outdoor ware. This makes them chemical additives that you need to know about. Luckily, there are ways to avoid PFAS as well as detox them out of your system with the proven methods listed below.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS stands for “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.” They are chemicals made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. The fluorine-carbon bonds are what make PFAS useful for so many products, especially those that claim to be “stain-resistant,” water repellent, or “non-stick” (such as non-stick kitchenware). The most common kinds of PFAS are:

• PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid)
• PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid)
• PFBS (perfluorobutane sulfonic acid)
• PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulfonic acid
• PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid)
  

There is a downside to all the convenience that PFAS provides, however. The same bonds that make them so attractive for so many products have also been shown to be extremely hazardous to human health and the environment.

To make the situation worse, PFAS do not break down readily over time. This is why many experts now call PFAS chemicals “forever chemicals.”

Where Are PFAS Found?

Products that are made to be stain-resistant, water-repellent, non-stick, oil-resistant, or flame-retardant will more than likely have some amount of PFAS chemicals in them. Items that may contain PFAS include:

• Outdoor gear
• Carpets and carpet cleaning products
• Clothing
• Cosmetics
• Sealants, adhesives, and glues
• Furniture
• Car seats
• Mattresses (including crib mattresses)
• Cookware (non-stick especially)
• Food packaging
• Drinking water
• The soil (1)

As you can see, the list above represents literally hundreds (maybe even thousands) of individual items, many of which you probably use every day.

Of particular concern are PFAS found in food packaging. PFAS is used to make up most plastic wrappers and boxes, paperboard, paper cups, and microwave popcorn bags. This means that the majority of fast food and pre-packaged items you get at either the grocery store or at a fast-food restaurant will contain some amount.

The consumer organization Consumer Reports recently found PFAS in over 100 food packaging items obtained from restaurants across the U.S. For example, they found them in paper bags, “molded fiber” bowls used for salads, hamburger wrappers, french fry containers, and one-time-use paper plates. (2)

The Wilbur Tennant Lawsuit: Making the Case for PFAS in Water and Soil

So, what exactly is the harm of PFAS? The truth is that industry leaders and scientists have known about the risks for years. Studies in the 1950s and 1960s showed the build-up of PFAS in the blood of factory workers as well as among certain cigarette smokers.

(3) Sadly, it wasn’t until almost fifty years later that concrete evidence would surface to prove the dangers of even low-level exposure.

Wilbur Tennant was a farmer near Parkersburg, West Virginia. In 1998, he watched as his herd of over 200 head of cattle began to die of a mysterious illness. Tennant’s property butted up against a new landfill that belonged to DuPont for their nearby mega-factory.

Tennant suspected that whatever was in the landfill was to blame since a waterway named Dry Run Creek flowed through the landfill and into a pasture where Tennant’s cattle grazed. Right after Dupont put the landfill in, Tennant noticed that the cows’ behavior began to change. Eventually, Tennant and his family became physically ill as well.

Tennant’s case was settled in 2001 and his complaints would eventually morph into other class-action lawsuits representing nearly 70,000 individuals in the region. The lawsuits provided proof that PFAS in water and soil caused significant human harm.

For example, Leach v. DuPont proved that a type of PFAS called PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid or “C-8”) had the ability to kick in latent diseases, including cancer. PFOA was used by Dupont to make Teflon coating for products manufactured in their Parkersburg factory. (4)

Harmful Effects of PFAS

The settlements also became the catalyst for the creation of the “C8 Science Panel.” (5) From C8 studies and others, we now know that pretty much all of the most common types of PFAS (mentioned above) can be seen in water supplies and in the soil. (6)

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, nearly the entire global population has some type of PFAS in their body. (7)

For almost ten years between 2005 and 2013, the panel also investigated links between PFAS and a number of conditions, including:

• High cholesterol levels
• Ulcerative colitis
• Thyroid disease
• Kidney disease
• Testicular cancer
• Liver damage
• Cancer
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension (8)

The links between PFAS and such a wide range of ailments has to do with the effect PFAS chemicals have on the immune system. In a series of investigations conducted at the University of Milan, Italian investigators found that PFOA and other PFAS chemicals suppress a number of crucial immune system mechanisms, including Natural Killer (NK) cell production. On the other hand, they also found that PFAS have the ability to increase the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, causing a higher risk for disease. (9)

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What Can You Do About PFAS?

Because PFAS are in so many products, you may get the sense that there is simply no way to avoid them. This is not entirely true. Although you may not be able to stay clear of these harmful substances entirely, there are actions you can take to reduce your exposure and get these “forever chemicals” out of your system.

Here are a few tips ...

1. Go PFAS-Free When You Shop! First and foremost, you can use the power of your pocketbook to purchase products that have “PFAS-Free” or “PFOA-free” labels and chose not to purchase items that contain them. This is especially true of items you may be exposed to daily, such as prepared foods, kitchenware, new carpeting and furniture, and clothing. Also, when you grocery shop, purchase whole foods that do not come in any kind of plastic or paper packaging as much as you can. Loose produce, liquids in glass containers, and bulk options for beans and grains are some examples.
2. Get a Quality Water Filtration System. Next, make sure you have an adequate water filtration system for both drinking and bathing. Low-grade filters may not remove PFAS so be sure to purchase a high-quality unit that can remove most major chemical additives. According to experts, most quality reverse osmosis systems can do the trick.
3. Utilize Consumer Guides. Use the power of the internet to access guides such as the PFAS Contamination Map put out by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the PFAS Guide put out by the Green Science Policy Institute (GSPI) to further your knowledge and be “in the know” of PFAS levels in your area and in the products you purchase.
4. Detox from PFAS. Earlier on we mentioned that one of the characteristics of PFAS is that they can last a long time without breaking down. In fact, many speculate that these substances may never actually break down at all. It stands to reason that if these substances remain “forever” in the environment, they also remain inside your body too. That is, unless you do something about it!

Reducing PFAS exposure in the ways we mentioned above will kickstart the detoxification process naturally. This is because any time you lower your toxic “load,” your body naturally kicks in deeper detoxification mechanisms in the gut, liver, and lymph system as well as at the cellular level (where PFAS like to hang out). (10)

You can significantly encourage detoxification by practicing a healthy lifestyle in general. This includes eating a whole food, organic/non-GMO diet, getting plenty of (filtered) water for adequate hydration, moving your body regularly, and using stress-reduction tools.

Yes, these practices may seem quite simple-- and they are! They are also powerful ways to rebalance your body that can spell the different between low energy and disease and a life of vibrant health! (11)

Beta Glucans Help Your Immune System Get Rid of PFAS

Once you have covered the basics, it's time to get specific. It would be best if you use particular protocols to support your body's fight to recover from the harmful effects of PFAS. One of the best ways to do this is through targeted supplementation. Few natural substances are proven to make a difference against the adverse effects of hard-to-tackle toxins, such as PFAS. (12)

One of the best ways to mitigate the impact of PFAS on our immune response is with beta-glucans. In a ground-breaking investigation conducted by researchers at Kyung Hee University in South Korea, exposure to PFOS and PFOA showed signs of significant across-the-board immune system suppression. The researchers gave a combination of beta-glucan, vitamin C, and resveratrol.

The results were terrific. The immune response quickly corrected as the result of the beta-glucan activating proper immune levels. According to the researchers, beta-glucans can "potentially be successfully used as a natural remedy against immunotoxicity induced by low-level exposure(s) to perfluorinated compounds." (13)

Researchers have long known about the immune-system effects and normalizing potential of beta-glucans. Thousands of medical journal articles speak to the proof of safety and efficacy. Beta glucans are small substances with complex molecules called "polysaccharides" that develop naturally within the cell walls of many whole foods, including grains, yeasts, mushrooms, and seaweeds.

Once they are highly purified, removing the lipids and proteins to which they are bound, they safely pass through the intestinal wall to interact directly with the immune cells found in the lining of our intestines. When we ingest them, these unique microscopic substances literally "kick start" crucial immune system functions that PFAS has disrupted PFAS. 

Beta-glucans originating from Baker's Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) have long since proven to be the most effective for helping boost immune system function. A 2017 study report published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology found that yeast-derived beta-glucans increased the output and effectiveness of T cells, monocytes, and beneficial cytokines in athletes suffering from exercise-induced immune suppression. 

(14) A more recent investigation found that these same kinds of beta-glucans could enhance the effectiveness of immune system regulators for inflammation. (15)

Give Your Body (and Your Immune System) What It Needs to Thrive

Human bodies can self-heal as long as they have all the right stuff. Unfortunately, there are a lot of elements in the world today that get in the way of creating this environment.

Toxic exposure to "forever chemicals" PFAS is a fact of life these days. Luckily, once you are in the know about PFAS, then you can do something about them.

As more people "wake up" to toxic exposure and say "no" to products that include substances like PFAS, the more manufacturer practices and government policies will change. Being proactive in our healing by using substances like beta-glucans-- and then passing this vital information on to those we care about-- is the only way that the toxic state of our health and world will change.