2: EPA's New Definition of PFAS Could Omit Thousands of Forever Chemicals. Contact Lenses w/o PFAS

Last edited Sat Aug 19, 2023, 12:07 AM - Edit history (1)

- 'EPA’s new definition of PFAS could omit thousands of ‘forever chemicals,’ By Tom Perkins, The Guardian, Aug. 18, 2023. Ed. 🔎

- Agency plans a ‘case-by-case’ approach that allows for flexibility, but critics say ‘this is not a new definition- it is a lack of definition’ -

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office responsible for protecting the public from toxic substances has changed how it defines PFAS for a 2nd time since 2021, a move critics say they fear will exclude thousands of “forever chemicals” from regulation & largely benefit industry. Instead of using a clear definition of what constitutes a PFAS, the agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics plans to take a “case-by-case” approach that allows it to be more flexible in determining which chemicals should be subjected to regulations.

Among other uses for the compounds, the EPA appears to be excluding some chemicals in pharmaceuticals and pesticides that are generally defined as PFAS,

current and former EPA officials say, & the shift comes amid fierce industry opposition to proposed limits on the chemicals. The approach puts the toxics office at odds with other EPA divisions, other federal agencies, the European Union, Canada and most of the scientific world. The definition is likely to generate confusion in the chemical industry and within the agency, current & former EPA officials say.

“This is not a new definition – it is a lack of definition, and it makes no sense,” said Linda Birnbaum, a former EPA scientist & head of the National Toxicology Program. “It is just going to lead to terrible confusion.” PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- & grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease & a range of other serious health problems.

They are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down in the environment.

In a statement to the Guardian, the EPA said its latest definition was more “expansive” than the previous. Its approach was designed “to focus on substances most likely to be persistent in the environment, including some chemical substances whose structures or sub-structures resemble, at least in part” more thoroughly studied PFAS compounds, like PFOS & PFOA. - But public health advocates warn that all PFAS are persistent in the environment & all that have been studied are toxic, for those reasons many are calling on the government to largely restrict the entire chemical class...

- Read More, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/18/epa-new-definition-pfas-forever-chemicals
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👀 Study Finds "Forever Chemicals" in Contact Lenses - These Brands Are PFAS-Free,
Researchers have found PFAS in many popular contact lenses. Are there any contact lenses without PFAS? Let's look at the alternative options. Green Matters, July 17, '23,
https://www.greenmatters.com/health-and-wellness/contact-lenses-without-pfas