The Known Products
A significant factor in making PFAS as widespread as they are, is their incredibly broad use across a variety of industries. Since their introduction in the 1950s, and through the present day, PFAS are known and believed to exist in a truly staggering amount of product categories.
PFAS have been utilized in applications as wide ranging as Aviation, Automotive manufacturing, Biotechnology, Building, Wiring, Chemical, Cosmetics, Electronics, Energy, Explosives, Firefighting, Food Processing, Household Cleaning Products, Medical Products, Mining, Nuclear, Photographic, Plastics, Production of PFAS, Musical Instruments, Refrigerants, and Textiles.
From photographic wetting agents, to carpets, firefighting foam, non-stick pans, flame retardants or toothpaste. PFAS are ever-present, and it is practically impossible to avoid an encounter with these forever chemicals.
While PFAS are useful to repel liquids, create non-stick surfaces, and help liquids mix, they are not a necessary industrial component and are often present only in that they make the manufacturing process more cost effective.
PBS Frontline’s excellent documentary provides just a small glimpse into one industry’s effects.
The Maybe Products
PFAS are also suspected to be present in face masks, food packaging, pesticides, and synthetic grass.
Then again, these are all products that are suspected to be manufacturing utilizing PFAS. The facts are that the forever chemical nature of PFAS mean they may be present in some products entirely removed from the manufacturing process, including certain fish with high levels of PFAS.
Source: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Avoiding Products containing PFAS
The State of Massachusetts provides a guide to purchasing products free of PFAS that can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/pfas-free-buying-guide/download
Sources
https://pfasfree.org.uk/pfas-use-in-products
https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/2-5-pfas-uses/
