Popular bandage brands may contain PFAS linked to endocrine disruption, thyroid disorders, infertility, and more, according to a new consumer report.
Popular BAND-AID and bandage brands may contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) called “forever chemicals” linked to endocrine disruption, thyroid disorders, infertility, and other health conditions, according to a recent consumer study.
Mamavation, in partnership with Environmental Health News, tested 40 bandages from 18 brands to see whether they contained forever chemicals. The lab, certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), found toxic levels of organic fluorine in 65 percent of the bandages tested, ranging from 11 parts per million (ppm) to 328 ppm.
Additionally, 26 of the 40 bandages tested contained organic fluorine above 10 ppm, and 63 percent of bandages marketed to people of color with black and brown skin tones tested positive for PFAS.
Terrence Collins, the Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University, scientifically reviewed the results. Mr. Collins told The Epoch Times in an email that he considers 100 ppm and even 10 ppm to be “massively unacceptable amounts of PFAS as these pertain to potential exposures from a bandaid.”
What Are ‘Forever Chemicals’?
PFAS are a class of more than 12,000 widely used synthetic chemicals resistant to water, stains, and heat. Because of these properties, PFAS are used in numerous commercial and industrial products such as food packaging, nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, personal care products, paints, plastics, waxes, cosmetics, medications, firefighting agents, dental floss, carpets, and more.
PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they are persistent anddo not easily break down, but instead accumulate in humans, animals, and the environment. Humans areexposed to forever chemicalsthrough contaminated food and water, products containing PFAS, and inhalation of dust and fumes from consumer and industrial products. A developing fetus can be exposed through the umbilical cord and placenta, and babies can be exposed through breast milk.
According to the Green Science Policy Institute, PFAS are added to adhesives, such as those found in bandages, to increase “wettability and penetration of the substrate,” which results in a stronger bond.
