chemicals Archives - usatoday24

“forever chemicals” have invaded our closet (and our blood)

April 26, 2026 by usatoday24

As journalist Jess Cartner-Morley recently wrote on the pages of Guardianthe leggings They have returned with force. They are no longer a garment relegated exclusively to the gym, but have become an elegant option for everyday use. It is a “utilitarian level” garment—as Cartner-Morley defines it—that practically all of us have stored in a drawer. And it’s not the only one: we buy our children “stain-resistant” school uniforms to save hours of scrubbing, or we wrap ourselves up in a state-of-the-art water-repellent raincoat. We look for clothing that offers us absolute comfort. But have we stopped to think at what price? The reality is more chilling. According to a report from the European network ENR (European Newsroom)in the Netherlands, the National Institute of Public Health (RIVM) analyzed blood samples from its citizens and concluded that practically all of them have industrial chemicals in their bodies. At the European level the outlook does not improve: 14.3% of adolescents have blood concentrations that exceed safe levels, reaching peaks of 23.8% in France. These compounds, designed to make our lives easier by repelling water and stains, have jumped from our closets directly into our bloodstream. This is the story of a silent invasion. The toxic magic of the textile industry. To understand how we got here, we have to look at science. According to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are a huge family of thousands of synthetic chemicals created in the 1940s. They are popularly known as the “forever chemicals” or “forever chemicals” because they contain a very strong carbon and fluorine bond that makes them practically indestructible in the environment. Their commercial magic lies in the fact that they repel water, grease and heat in an exceptional way. The report Toxic Convenience (Toxic Convenience), prepared by the NGO Toxic-Free Futuredocumented how these substances are used massively in all types of textiles, from sheets and tablecloths to mountain clothing. However, a scientific study published in the magazine Environmental Science & Technology analyzed children’s clothing in North America and found that school uniforms labeled and marketed as “stain-resistant” contained significantly higher levels of PFAS than other common clothing. This obsession reaches the fashion giants. On the one hand, the high-end where the Texas attorney general has opened an investigation against the sought-after sportswear brand Lululemon. How to detail The Washington postit is being investigated whether its garments contain PFAS, which would be an advertising deception for consumers who come to the brand looking for a “healthy” lifestyle, despite the fact that Lululemon claims to have eliminated these substances at the beginning of 2024. On the other hand, the opposite extreme of consumption: ultra-fast fashion. A devastating report published by Greenpeace at the end of 2025, titled “Shame on you, Shein!”reveals that this platform continues to be a drain for toxics. Of 56 garments and shoes analyzed, 32% contained dangerous chemicals that exceeded the limits established by the European Union. The most alarming data was found in a garment purchased in Spain, which exceeded the permitted levels of PFAS by more than 600 times. So how does it affect us? Knowing that we carry industrial chemicals in the clothes we wear every day is already disturbing, but their documented medical effects are even more so. The EPA warns that prolonged exposure and the accumulation of PFAS in the human body are linked to serious problems: alterations in the immune and hormonal system, increased cholesterol, problems in fetal development, lower effectiveness of vaccines in children and a greater risk of suffering from cancers such as kidney and testicular cancer. Until recently, it was believed that the greatest risk came from drinking contaminated water or eating food. However, Marta Venier, environmental chemist cited by Washington Postwarns of the risks of dermal exposure. Their fears have been confirmed by a revealing study led by researcher Oddný Ragnarsdóttir from the University of Birmingham, published in the magazine Environment International. Using equivalent 3D human skin models, scientists demonstrated for the first time that 15 of the 17 most common PFAS show substantial dermal absorption. Some compounds, such as PFPeA, are absorbed by human skin by almost 60%. Areas where the skin is thinner – such as the neck, armpits or groin, where leggings generate greater friction—are especially vulnerable. And the risk does not end when we take off our clothes. Graham Peaslee, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, explains in Washington Post that some PFAS used in clothing are volatile. “Even if they are hanging in your closet, you won’t smell them because they are odorless,” he details, but they release compounds into the air that you end up inhaling directly in your own home. What can we do about the closet? Faced with this avalanche of data, consumers may feel helpless, but experts insist that there are alternatives. At the corporate level, some brands are taking responsibility. An example is the outdoor clothing brand Patagoniawhich in a statement explained his long ordeal to get rid of PFAS. They recount how they fell into what scientists call “regrettable substitution” (changing a long-chain toxic chemical for a short-chain one that turned out to be just as harmful) and how today, 99% of their fabrics repel water without intentionally added PFAS, promising to reach 100% very soon. For our daily lives, experts offer several practical tips: The Gout Test: Professor Peaslee suggests putting a drop of water about that suspicious raincoat or technical pants. If three hours later the drop is still there, intact, the garment is probably treated with PFAS. If it absorbs within a couple of minutes, it doesn’t have the chemical. Read between the lines: Jamie DeWitt, toxicologist at Oregon State University, rI recommend distrusting marketing. If a garment is sold as water or stain resistant, and doesn’t specify what its lining is made of, “assume it has PFAS.” Wash and inherit: Marta Venier advises washing He repeatedly washes new clothes to remove some of the chemicals, and … Read more

Our body is full of almost indestructible “eternal chemicals.” It turns out that we have the solution in the intestine

July 20, 2025 by usatoday24

“Eternal chemicals” is a name with great loudness. They are practically indestructible molecules, and the problem is that they are really harmful for both nature and us. In recent years we are taking it seriously and we have sought Remove them with guns with electron beams. Also through forms of break their molecular bondsand now a bacterium can become an ally to end these eternal chemicals. And it will be as easy as taking a capsule. A slow poison. The perfluoroalquiladas and the polyfluoroalquiladas, known as PFASThey are a relative of about 4,700 synthetic molecules that have great resistance due to the unions between fluorine and carbon atoms. They are very useful for that resistance, since the molecular union is very stable and does not react to external agents. The problem is that they are used in many products (hygiene, textiles, pesticides, containers or Even in the wine), they accumulate in nature by not being destroyed and, potentially, also in our body. PFAS and their derivatives, such as trifluoacetic acid, are related to soil contamination and water sources. And the prolonged exposure to certain PFAS has been related With a higher risk of kidney cancer and testicles, alterations in the immune system, changes in cholesterol, fertility problems and increased blood pressure in pregnancy. Intestinal bacteria. That is why we commented on some lines: we are looking for how to end them. It is difficult, but researchers from the University of Cambridge have TOP With an unexpected ally: human intestinal bacteria. Specifically, the Faecalibacterium prausnitziian intestinal bacterium that, together with others found in our body, has proven to be very effective absorbing pfas. In experiments, and as they point out in Natureresearchers have found about 38 bacterial strains that absorb these eternal chemicals. Basically, they quickly accumulate great concentrations of PFAS minutes after exposure to them. How do they do it? Catching toxic compounds within cell groups, protecting both themselves and the host. Come on, putting the pfa in quarantine. Swallowing more and more. To test it, the toxicology unit of the University of Cambridge experienced with mice that had ingested PFAS. They introduced nine bacterial strains in their organism and observed that these bacteria quickly trapped the PFAS and then were naturally expelled through the feces. The interesting thing is that bacteria work more intensely at greater concentration, with constant elimination rates of between 25% and 74% of the PFAS present in the body. Horizon. Studies are constantly published in which they tell us how they have discovered the potential of something to improve our life, but usually, the conclusion is usually a “we need more evidence and we will see.” In the case of bacteria that engulf eternal chemicals, researchers have something clearer what the road map is after those first experiments in mice. In the next steps, they will explore the development of Probiotics specifically aimed at improving our defenses against PFAS, and they have it so clear that they have founded a startup of biotechnology To develop these products. The objective is that the first is ready by 2026 and what these specialized probiotics will do will be to capture chemicals before they are reabsorbed in the intestine and “encapsulate them” for excretion through the digestive system. Images | Cambridge University In Xataka | Some bacteria can “feel” the acid in their surroundings. And his way of adapting is mutating

The “eternal chemicals” are already everywhere. And that includes one of our favorite places: Spanish wine

April 26, 2025 by usatoday24

The “eternal chemicals” have become a hot issue. These chemicals are widely used in a variety of contexts but their increasingly common presence in the environment worries both environmentalists and the health sector. And for now we know little about the possible impact of these substances on the health of people and in ecosystems. “Eternal” chemicals in wine. A study by the environmental association European bread(PHASE Action Network Europe) He has warned of the presence in the European wine of one of the substances we usually refer to as “eternal chemicals”: trifluoroacetic acid. PFAS and TFA. PFAS are the acronym with which we often refer to the category of perfluoroalized and polyfluoralized substances. It is a family of synthetic molecules (there are about 4,700 compounds of this type) that stand out for resistance that imbues the union between fluorine and carbon atoms. These compounds They are useful For example, in the manufacture of non -stick objects, but they can also be found in pesticides, containers or hygiene products. This is a molecular union Extremely stabledoes not react to external agents so it is extremely difficult to make these substances decompose, either by natural processes or otherwise. That is why these substances tend to accumulate in nature and, potentially, in our body. Interestingly, one of the problems with these substances is in one of the products as a result of the decomposition of the PFAS, the trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). This is precisely the “eternal chemist” on which the new study has focused. 49 wines. The analysis It began with a dozen Austrian wines of relatively old vintages and was expanding to include more recent crops and other countries. In total, 49 wines were analyzed, including at least one produced in Spain. They observed that wines prior to 1988 They did not contain traces of TFAbut that from that year the concentrations were increasing, first little by little and, as of 2010, significantly. The average concentrations in the vines of vintages between 2021 and 2024 was 122 µg/l, although peaks of up to 300 µg/l were detected. Although the phenomenon extended throughout Europe, the team indicated that Austrian wines were the most affected. Other Detail highlighted By the association it was the correlation between the concentrations of TFA and waste of synthetic pesticides. Ecological production The study of European bread He noted that ecological production wines also did not get rid of the presence of these substances, although it is true that they showed some concentrations less than those found in other wines. To what extent are a risk? Today we do not know for sure the effects of “eternal chemicals” on our health, but there are some indications that allow us to get an idea of these possible effects. TFA has been linked, for example, problems for Fertility; But other compounds of this family have also been related to immune problems and even a greater risk of cancer. In Xataka | Some scientists have proposed to solve the big question: is it more “healthy” white wine or red? Image | Hermes Rivera

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