I recently attended a Zoom talk from Gresham College given by Dr Ian Mudway. The subject was ‘Forever Chemicals’ those carbon/fluoride bonded chemicals, developed mainly after WWII which have given us non-stick, waterproofing, packaging, stain resistance, cosmetics, paint etc etc. ..
Trouble is they are everywhere, literally, and have been found in river, soils, and our own body tissues, bone, blood, tissues and even breast milk and baby formula world wide. (Breast milk still better if used.) One diagram made clear links with this as an environmental factor in the prevalence of thyroid disorders.
I’ve long believed there has been something in the environment causing what I’m sure is a growth in the numbers of people with thyroid problems which I know possibly involves genes in my case (aunt, daughter, brother, cousins.) I seem to come across more and more people in the general population with thyroid problems. Maybe the admin could verify if this is historically correct? !
Anyway there’s not a lot we can do to avoid these chemicals so it’s really not worth worrying unduly. Don’t use scratched non stick pans is obvious …although the chemicals will live on wherever the pans end up! And yes scientists are working on how to deal with these complex chemicals compounds,. or PFAS for short.
I’ve summarised a very interesting and well presented talk but it may still be available as a YouTube video. Thanks for reading.
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Catseyes235
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This is a very big issue, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are everywhere and have substantial effects. For example I recently posted on action the Government is taking to stop the spread of PBDEs which affect thyroid hormone action healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... .
I'm not sure there is much increase in primary hypothyroidism (failing thyroid gland) although more cases are being diagnosed. I suspect these extra cases come from the effects of EDCs causing hypothyroid signs and symptoms. The patient then goes to their doctor who detects a mildly raised TSH and diagnoses primary hypothyroidism. The problem with this is the patient has been given the wrong diagnosis and will be expected to recover when their TSH comes down.
It's not true there's nothing we can do. Most chemicals that affect thyroid are lipophillic, they bind to fat, so avoid eating too much fat. As regards household toxins you can damp dust, HEPA vacuum and open windows for a short time.
I've just watched this video! It's very good, well balanced and nuanced. I have no knowledge of these chemicals but the principles, very long elimination half-lives, they are ubiquitous and bioaccumulative, apply to a large number of toxic chemicals. Also, the practice of replacing hazardous chemicals with new ones that are likely to be just as bad.
The effect on the immune system is alarming, not least because we develop cancers every day but our immune system recognises them as alient and deals with them. As we get older the immune system gets weaker and there are more cell mutations. This doesn't bode well for the future.
The effects of these chemicals on TSH and T4 are likely to be minor because part of the testing process is to measure these. If the effect was significant (within the test group of animals) the chemical wouldn't be marketed. Perhaps some people will have their TSH or T4 (or T3) affected by these chemicals. This will probably lead to a (mis)diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism which will probably be adequately treated. The wrong diagnosis but they get more or less sorted.
The real problem is endocrine disruptors such as PBDEs which affect thyroid hormone action only in peripheral tissues - blood tests are normal. These patients will not be diagnosed because of the reliance on blood tests. And they will not get adequate treatment because they need supra-physiological doses of thyroid hormone. We need better markers of thyroid hormone action and a return to diagnosis based on signs, symptoms are response to hormone therapy.
I am glad to see that this topic has been broached here already, because you do not have to have been alerted to the potential ramifications of PFA contamination in drinking water by a viewing of e.g. Dark Waters ( see: imdb.com/title/tt9071322/) to appreciate the extremely broad and toxic effects of the full spectrum of 'forever chemicals' (as a primer see for instance: theguardian.com/environment....
These chemicals are implicated in everything from cancer to damage to the liver and immune system, but most especially to the thyroid gland (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....
Yet, while the profile of this health threat has achieved some public profile through the redoubtable efforts of Rob Bilot in the US and others in Australia, the topic seems only belatedly to be gaining government attention in the UK (theguardian.com/environment....
To the extent that The Royal Society of Chemistry, no less, has now been moved to encourage us all to check the level of PFAs (as best we can) in our drinking water, by e.g. referring to the map provided on their website. It also exhorts us to write to our MPs to afford the topic more attention among our lawmakers and get the limit on individual PFAs cut to 10ng/L and that on total PFAs (there are a lot of them!) cut to 100 ng/L.
Given the general reticence of industry bodies to step into public controversy, it is salutary and indicative of the importance it attaches to the matter in respect of public health, that the RSC felt moved to do this.
Of particular note are the facts that seepage from improperly lined waste tips is a major source of water course pollution and that measured PFA levels in UK water courses are often exceptionally high by any standards.
However, the thing which particularly concerns the RSC is that permissible levels of PFA pollution in the UK are way above prudential standards in other advanced countries, which themselves are probably still too lax - and we are talking about parts per billion here being harmful.
Given our incapacity to deal with a relatively more tractable domestic problem of eliminating undue sewage release into rivers and onto our beaches, we can rest assured that we shall hear more about the more nebulous, sinister and longstanding impact of these compounds on our health as public awareness is heightened.
In the meantime, if we cannot help what we breathe, we can at least try to minimise exposure to PFAs from tap water by at least employing some elementary filtration, and regularly replacing the filter (see e.g. waterfilterguru.com/do-brit....
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