PFAS "forever chemicals" lurk in your drinking water, cosmetics, soil, rain, and even firefighter gear. Over 10,000 persistent compounds build up in the environment and your body. This episode reveals five everyday exposure routes, including new FDA science about health risks as well as concerning EPA regulatory enforcement shifts, and why the burden of testing and protection increasingly falls on individuals and communities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

- FDA finds PFAS in makeup and personal care products

- EPA rolls back drinking water limits amid contamination spikes

- Private wells hide toxic levels—test yours now

- Southeast textile runoff poisons communities

- Firefighters face cancer risks from gear and foam

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction: PFAS everywhere

00:59 – Why PFAS are chemically persistent

02:01 – Industry knowledge and historical concealment

03:23 – Five recent PFAS exposure examples

03:52 – FDA study: PFAS in cosmetics and personal care

04:56 – EPA drinking water limits and rollbacks

06:01 – Private wells and exposure risk

08:08 – Textile mills and southeastern contamination

09:08 – Firefighter gear and occupational exposure

10:13 – EPA policy shifts and reporting changes

13:43 – What this means going forward

SOURCES

- New FDA Report Links PFAS to Consumer Products: https://www.fda.gov/media/190319/download?attachment

- New U.S. Maps Reveal PFAS in Drinking Water: https://www.nrdc.org/resources/new-maps-show-most-congressional-districts-have-pfas-problem

- Nearly Half of People in the U.S. Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pfas-found-in-nearly-half-of-americans-drinking-water/

- FDA reports over 50 PFAS ingredients intentionally added to 1,700 personal care products: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2026/01/fda-reports-over-50-pfas-ingredients-intentionally-added-1700-personal  

- Hidden PFAS Found in Private Wells: https://apnews.com/article/pfas-wells-contamination-forever-chemicals-water-b132294aca85d569926dbf47c0d02355

- Contamination of PFAS in Rain: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135424012892

- EPA Lowers PFAS Reporting Rules Under Toxic Substances Control Act: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0549

- New EPA Rule Weakens PFAS Reportingr: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-changes-make-pfas-reporting-requirements-more-practical-and-0

- Inside 3M’s PFAS Cover-Up Scandal: https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story

- Firefighters Face Hidden PFAS Foam Exposure: https://www.propublica.org/article/forest-service-forever-chemical-firefighter-pfas

- Carpet Industry’s Toxic PFAS Legacy Exposed: https://apnews.com/projects/pfas-forever-stained/

- EPA Chemical Database — TSCA Inventory Access: https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory

- Stanford Researchers Expose PFAS Health Risks: https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2024/07/pfas-forever-chemicals-health-risks-scientists.html

- What’s the Difference Among Microplastics, Phthalates, BPA, and PFAS: https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/microplastics-phthalates-bpa-pfas-a1059022044/

- EWG Map Tracks PFAS Hotspots Nationwide: https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/

- Europe Confronts PFAS Pollution Across Borders: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/zero-pollution/cross-cutting-stories/cross-cutting-story-3-pfas

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