Exposure to PFAS has been linked to a range of health issues including several types of cancer. Kyla Bennett is a former EPA scientist who now serves as the director of science policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER.
“So we do know that the three routes of exposure for PFAS in humans is ingestion, dermal absorption and inhalation,” she said.
The EPA has determined that no amount of two types of PFAS — known as PFOA and PFOS — are safe in drinking water. Bennett says for years, the agency’s website said the two compounds had been phased out entirely or limited in U.S. manufacturing.
But despite that, she says, both are still widely used. Her research has found them in one company’s plastic containers, which hold everything from shampoo and edible oils, to pesticides.