Global brands lied about ‘forever chemicals’ threat: PFAS coverup report

Babies with birth defects. Lab rats with enlarged livers. Dogs that died soon after exposure.

These and other dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” were hidden from the public, regulators and even company employees, even while the makers of products containing PFAS continued to promote their benefits.

A new paper published in the Annals of Global Health highlights the nefarious tactics companies like DuPont and 3M used to cover up the dangers of PFAS chemicals.

The authors of the paper compared the tactics of DuPont and 3M to tobacco companies, which notoriously suppressed medical research that exposed their products’ link to cancer.

For example, as early as 1961, DuPont was aware that chemicals used to create its Teflon cookware coatings were known “to increase the size of the liver of rats at low doses” and that “contact with the skin should be strictly avoided.” This information was purposefully suppressed, according to the paper’s authors.

In 1979, DuPont discovered that dogs exposed to a single dose of perfluorooctanoic acid (a type of PFAS) “died two days after ingestion.” This information was also kept secret by DuPont.

Two pregnant employees who worked with C-8 (another type of PFAS) gave birth to babies with serious defects: One child had a single nostril and the other had eye defects. DuPont never communicated this information to employees.

In fact, the company later released a statement declaring that “we know of no evidence of birth defects caused by C-8 at DuPont.”

PFAS documents

Damning revelations such as these came to light when secret industry documents held for years by DuPont and 3M — the largest makers of PFAS — were examined by health experts at the University of California, San Francisco.

“These documents reveal clear evidence that the chemical industry knew about the dangers of PFAS and failed to let the public, regulators, and even their own employees know,” Tracey J. Woodruff, director of UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and senior author of the paper, said in a news release.

The industry documents were released to UCSF researchers after attorney Robert Bilott, depicted in the 2019 film “Dark Waters,” gained access to the papers following his lawsuits against DuPont.

As public awareness of PFAS risks increased, DuPont tried to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency into adopting an industry-friendly stance.

In an email to the EPA labeled “Urgent,” DuPont vice president Susan Stalnecker wrote: “We need EPA to quickly (like first thing tomorrow) say the following: That consumer products sold under the Teflon brand are safe and to date there are no human health effects known to be caused by PFOA.”

What are PFAS?

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals, widely used in packaging, clothing, carpets, firefighting foam and even toilet paper since the 1950s.

Because of the strong molecular bonds found in PFAS, they don’t break down easily, and levels of PFAS build up over time in humans, animals and the environment, earning them the name “forever chemicals.”

PFAS are used in dozens of different industries and are now found in water, soil and in the air all over the world, according to the National Institutes of Health.

And because there are thousands of different types of PFAS, there’s much that scientists don’t know about them, such as how best to detect and measure these minerals, remove them from air and water or determine their long-term effects.

Effects of PFAS

Research into the health risks of PFAS is ongoing, but studies conducted to date reveal possible health effects including altered metabolism and fertility, reduced fetal growth, increased risk of being overweight or obese, increased cancer risk and weakened immune systems, according to the NIH.

In 2004, the EPA won a $16.45 million settlement against DuPont for the company’s failure to disclose its internal findings on PFOA. But, the new paper’s authors note, that amount was just a fraction of DuPont’s $1 billion annual revenues from PFOA and C-8.

Lawsuits against the manufacturers of PFAS are expected to continue: This month, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown filed two lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers including DuPont and 3M for the alleged contamination of Maryland’s natural resources and adverse effects on residents’ health, according to CBS-affiliate WBOC.

“As many countries pursue legal and legislative action to curb PFAS production, we hope they are aided by the timeline of evidence presented in this paper,” said Woodruff. “This timeline reveals serious failures in the way the US currently regulates harmful chemicals.”