Mamavation and EHN have made it something of a mission to conduct regular checks of various products, sending samples to laboratories to test them for the presence of organic fluorine, which is found in the presence of PFAS and is easier to detect than the chemicals themselves. They are also widespread in the water supply and food chain, and even in the rain. The chemicals are found in thousands of common products, including food packaging, adhesives, carpeting, clothing, furniture, varnish, cleaning products, shampoo and cosmetics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood. But this class of chemicals has been linked by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increased risk of certain cancers, decreased fertility, high blood pressure in pregnant people, developmental delays and low birthweight in children, hormonal disruption, high cholesterol, reduced effectiveness of the immune system, and more.

The health consequences of PFAS exposure are unclear.

Of the 40 bandages they analyzed in a lab, 65% contained signs of PFAS chemicals.Īlso known as “forever chemicals,” because that’s approximately how long they linger in the environment, there are at least 12,000 types of PFAS. Many brands of bandages may contain PFAS chemicals, according to a new report commissioned by Environmental Health News (EHN) and the consumer watchdog site Mamavation.

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