How PFAS “forever chemicals” are harming our health, with Linda Birnbaum |
|
From kitchen pans to drinking water, dangers hidden in everyday materials, scientist warns
By now, you've probably heard about the dangers of PFAS “forever chemicals.” These chemicals are all around us—they're in waterproof hiking boots, electronics, nonstick pans and even our drinking water—but there's no way for them to break down in our environment. Epidemiological studies have linked to these chemicals to numerous diseases—from kidney cancer, liver cancer, obesity, decreased fertility and more. American toxicologist Linda Birnbaum has been sounding the alarms about how PFAS are harming our health for the last few decades. She was previously the director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences at the NIH and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She explains that while we cannot completely avoid PFAS, there are steps we can take to limit our exposure. Listen/Subscribe to Big Brains on... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-brains/id1368737097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2uYYyD1m5o67GROWc9f8id?si=ZIOd4u2cRk6Ds7sKqYJgaw&nd=1 Big Brains Insider eNewsletter: http://eepurl.com/iiMiI5 00:02 Introduction 00:32 Understanding PFAS: The Forever Chemicals 01:55 The Pervasiveness of PFAS 02:24 The Health Risks of PFAS 03:08 Big Brains Podcast Introduction 03:20 The Science of PFAS 03:29 The Dangers of Forever Chemicals 03:46 The Chemical Structure of PFAS 05:12 The History of PFAS 12:52 The Impact of PFAS on Health 16:17 The Regulation of PFAS 21:48 The Future of PFAS 26:12 Living with PFAS 28:32 Conclusion |