New research has discovered a troubling link between toxic chemicals found in everyday products and healthy brain development in children, adding to growing concerns about PFAS exposure.Â
What's happening?
A study published in Environmental Research found a potential relationship between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — better known as PFAS — during pregnancy and children's brain development.
The study followed 84 mother-and-child pairs through pregnancy until the children turned six. Researchers measured the mothers' PFAS exposure via blood draws. They also monitored each child's brain development with MRIs at two and six years of age.
PFAS exposure during pregnancy was associated with white-matter alterations in the children's brains. White matter helps with learning and processing information, and research has shown that white matter can impact cognitive development even more than gray matter.
"Overall, our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to PFAS can alter the structural properties of major white matter tracts in the brain and this may be associated with neurodevelopmental vulnerability," the researchers said in the study's text.
Why is PFAS exposure important?
PFAS are toxic chemicals in many everyday household products, like clothing, nonstick cookware, food packaging, and personal care products, like shampoo. PFAS are also known as "forever chemicals" because they can take up to thousands of years to break down in the environment, and our bodies can't break them down.
By spreading awareness of the impacts of PFAS exposure during pregnancy, families can advocate for stronger regulations to limit these harmful chemicals. As research continues to uncover PFAS-related health risks, proactivity can help keep future generations healthier.
The study's researchers stated in the article, "To protect the vulnerable developing brains of children, there is an urgent need for researchers and policy makers to work together to inform the conduct of rigorous epidemiological studies that examine the associations between multiple environmental chemical exposures and developmental alterations."
What's being done about PFAS?
Several countries, including Denmark and Germany, have restricted certain PFAS and are working to ban them altogether, save for a few uses, like batteries.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency implemented a PFAS Strategic Roadmap in 2021, detailing its steps toward reducing PFAS in the environment. Its efforts include creating a standard to reduce PFAS in drinking water and regulating PFAS in products we buy.
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Brands are also joining the cause. For example, Restaurant Brands International promised to eliminate PFAS added to packaging by 2025. And Yum! Brands has committed to removing added PFAS, phthalates, and BPA from its packaging by the end of 2025.
As a consumer, you can support proposed legislation to regulate PFAS by commenting on rules listed on Regulations.gov.
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