Unveiling PFAS: The Hidden Toxic Legacy of Everyday Products

Unveiling PFAS: The Hidden Toxic Legacy of Everyday Products

Scott Wustenberg

PFAS: The Hidden Toxic Legacy of Everyday Products

This post is about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the "forever chemicals" that have been built into consumer products for the past 60 years or more. I want to draw attention to them because they have affected the largest generations born after World War II, the baby boomers and Generation X, along with their children. These xenoestrogenic compounds accumulate in the human body over years, and that long-term build-up is where the trouble lies.

PFAS and Cancer Risk

Numerous epidemiological studies have found a correlation between PFAS exposure and an elevated risk of specific cancers, most notably kidney and testicular cancer. Research on populations with high exposure, such as communities near manufacturing plants or military bases that used firefighting foam, has shown a link between PFAS concentrations in blood serum and higher cancer prevalence.

The precise mechanisms are still unclear, but the likely pathways include PFAS-induced oxidative stress, endocrine disruption and activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), which can affect cell proliferation and tumour formation.

Why PFAS Are So Hard to Clear from the Body

PFAS are persistent and bind strongly within the body, which makes detoxification difficult. We do have natural pathways for processing and eliminating them, but prolonged exposure overwhelms those systems. Supporting the body's detoxification capacity through evidence-based approaches may help limit the health effects, but prevention through reduced exposure remains by far the most effective strategy.

A Space-Age Wonder with a Dark Side

PFAS have been used in consumer products since the 1940s. When they arrived they were hailed as miracle materials, part of the golden age of space-age technology in the 1950s to 1970s. As you'll see, many of the products built on them turned out to be more Mr Hyde than Dr Jekyll. The exposure those generations accumulated may well be connected to the rise in ill health as they age, and it deserves far more investigation than it has received.

Where PFAS Have Been Used: Product Categories

Cookware

  • Non-stick cookware. Teflon (a brand of PTFE, a type of PFAS) was introduced by DuPont in the 1960s in frying pans, saucepans and baking sheets. By the 1970s it had spread to waffle irons and rice cookers, and through the 1980s and 1990s to electric appliances such as bread makers.

Food Packaging (1960s to present)

PFAS provide a barrier against grease and oil, which made them a staple of:

  • Burger wrappers and grease-resistant fast food paper
  • French fry containers and takeaway containers
  • Pizza boxes (heat and grease resistance)
  • Sandwich wraps and bakery papers
  • Candy wrappers and disposable paper plates
  • Microwave popcorn bags (particularly from the 1970s onward)

3M's Scotchban, introduced in the 1960s, was widely used in paper plates, food cartons, butter wrappers, candy wrappers and popcorn bags.

Clothing and Textiles

  • Gore-Tex and similar waterproof fabrics
  • Stain-resistant carpets and upholstery (Scotchgard, introduced 1956)
  • Water-resistant clothing, rain gear, outdoor wear and shoes
  • Umbrellas and leather treatments

Personal Care Products

  • PTFE-coated dental floss
  • Cosmetics, especially long-wear or waterproof formulas
  • Some shampoos, conditioners, lotions and sunscreens

Industrial and Household

  • Aqueous film-forming firefighting foam (AFFF), used for flammable liquid fires at airports and military installations
  • Floor waxes and polishes, cleaning products, paints and varnishes, ski waxes
  • Automotive gaskets, seals and hoses
  • Electronics wiring and circuit boards
  • Construction sealants and coatings

A note on accuracy: verifying the exact historical composition of products is difficult, and formulations varied by manufacturer and era. The uses above are well documented in general terms, but this list can't capture every product. For current information on PFAS in specific products, the EPA and European environmental agency databases are the best sources.

PFAS in Food Packaging and Cookware: The Most Documented Uses

DuPont Teflon Cookware Timeline

  • 1960s: First Teflon non-stick pans using PTFE, in frying pans, saucepans and baking sheets
  • 1970s: Coatings extended to waffle irons and rice cookers
  • 1980s–1990s: Widespread use in electric appliances such as bread makers

Food Packaging Applications (1960s to present)

Fast food packaging relied on PFAS for grease resistance across burger wrappers, French fry containers, pizza boxes (for both heat and grease resistance), sandwich wraps, bakery papers and takeaway containers.

Brand Documentation: 3M Scotchban

Introduced in the 1960s, Scotchban was used in paper plates, food cartons, butter wrappers, candy wrappers and, from the 1970s onward, microwave popcorn bags.

Documented Uses by Category

Food packaging. Grease-resistant wrappers for fast food, baked goods and microwave popcorn bags, where PFAS form a barrier against grease and oil. (ITRC PFAS Fact Sheet)

Cookware. Teflon, a brand of PTFE (a type of PFAS), has been used in pots and pans since the 1960s.

Textiles. Stain-resistant carpets and upholstery, where PFAS repel stains and water, and water-resistant clothing including rain gear, outdoor wear and shoes. (NIEHS)

Firefighting foam. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), used to extinguish flammable liquid fires, particularly by the military and at airports. (Friends of the Earth Australia)

Personal care products. Some cosmetics, lotions and sunscreens contained PFAS.

Industrial applications. Automotive gaskets, seals and hoses; electronics wiring and circuit boards; construction sealants and coatings.

A note on accuracy: verifying the exact historical composition of products is difficult, and specific formulations varied by manufacturer and era. These uses are well documented in general terms, but the list isn't exhaustive.

Are PFAS Still in Use?

Some PFAS, notably PFOA and PFOS, have been phased out in many countries because of health concerns. But many other PFAS chemicals remain in use, and the long-term effects of exposure to these are still being studied.

In Australia, PFAS chemicals are still in circulation. As the Australian Government itself notes, the very qualities that make PFAS useful in industry and firefighting foam are what make them environmentally harmful: the most dangerous varieties are highly mobile in water, travel far from their source, don't break down naturally and are hazardous to many organisms, humans included.

The health implications of long-term exposure are becoming clearer, and there is global concern over PFAS persistence and mobility in the environment. Many nations have ended or are phasing out their use, and the Australian Government has been reducing PFAS use since 2002.

According to government sources, PFAS are still valued for resisting heat, stains, grease and water in:

  • Stain and water protection for carpets, fabric, furniture and apparel
  • Paper coatings, including some food packaging
  • Metal plating
  • Photographic materials
  • Aviation hydraulic fluid
  • Cosmetics and sunscreen
  • Medical devices

In practice that means ongoing exposure for most of us. Think sunscreens, carpets, fabric and upholstery protection sprays and cosmetics.

My Take

I find it telling that the "expert" panel on human health impacts produced mixed findings and concluded that more studies are needed, while the effects of chronic PFAS exposure on the liver, gastrointestinal tract and thyroid hormones are already well established in animal experiments.

My advice is straightforward: minimise your exposure, and support your body's ability to detoxify.

Dr. Scott Wustenberg is the founder of the Opti Human Project and Optimal Sleep Airway Health.

References and Further Reading

  1. ITRC PFAS Fact Sheet: PFAS Uses. https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/2-5-pfas-uses/
  2. NIEHS. Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc
  3. Friends of the Earth Australia. PFAS Chemicals in Australian Drinking Water: A Summary. https://www.foe.org.au/pfas_chemicals_in_australian_drinking_water_a_summary
  4. Australian Government PFAS Taskforce. About PFAS: Substances. https://www.pfas.gov.au/about-pfas/substances

Australian Government resources

  • Expert Health Panel for PFAS
  • enHealth Guidance Statement on PFAS, Department of Health
  • enHealth PFAS factsheet, Department of Health
  • PFAS Health Effects and Exposure, Department of Health
  • Australian National University epidemiological study on PFAS exposure in Williamtown NSW, Oakey Qld and Katherine NT
  • Department of Health PFAS information service: 1800 941 180 or health.PFAS@health.gov.au

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