Professor Miriam Diamond talks about their research on "forever chemicals", or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), on CBC's Front Burner podcast.
Miriam starts by describing "forever chemicals". "They last for decades, if not hundreds of years. We just don't know. What's really perverse about PFAS is not only that they last forever, but they last in water." She adds that based on a study from the Université de Montréal, 98% of tap water samples in Quebec contains some form of PFAS.
She also emphasized in the interview that "the Canadian Health Measures Survey found that 99% of Canadians have three types of PFAS in our bodies. So virtually every Canadian has PFAS."
Miriam explains that PFAS testing has been difficult and expensive, but more agencies and scientists are now able to test more frequently. In addition, she adds that toxicological studies have found adverse health effects related to PFAS exposure. However, research from a team in University of California have shown that "companies knew PFAS was highly toxic when inhaled and moderately toxic when ingested by 1970."
"But ultimately, it's because our system works on the basis of a chemical is safe until it's proven to be not safe or guilty. So safety is presumed." Miriam adds.