| A couple of recent articles have included concerning news about sun and beauty products. The first, which ran a few weeks ago, explained the results from an independent testing lab that found traces of the chemical benzene in dozens of sunscreens. Benzene is a known carcinogen and obviously wasn't deliberately added to the sunscreens; its appearance was likely the result of contamination and was in very small levels. The results certainly did not mean anyone should stop using sunscreen in general, and some of the specific products were recalled. The second story, which we published today, is about a group of chemicals that are deliberately added to products: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as (PFAS). These chemicals are used to make coatings that are heat-, oil-, stain- and water-resistant. In cosmetics, the focus of the story by freelance writer Melinda Fulmer, they can improve durability and spreadability. The problem is that they don't break down. They build up in our bodies and in the bodies of fish and wildlife; they contaminate our soil and water. Thus, they've earned the nickname "forever chemicals." We don't yet know the effect of high levels of PFAS in the blood, but according to early research cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS exposure could have an impact on cholesterol levels, liver enzymes and birth weights, and it could increase the risk of kidney and testicular cancer. In the study that Melinda reports on, scientists from the University of Notre Dame purchased 231 beauty products from retailers in the U.S. and Canada including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Then they screened them for evidence of PFAS using particle-induced gamma-ray emission spectroscopy (that is why the lead researcher on the project is a physicist). The team found fluorine, an element in PFAS, in more than half the products. Foundations, lipsticks and mascaras had the greatest proportion of high fluorine concentrations, as did products advertised as wear resistant and long-lasting. That sent me directly to examine the ingredient labels on my foundation and mascara; I was looking for PTFE (Teflon) or ingredients that contain perfluoro. I didn't find any. But that wasn't very comforting because it turns out that only 8 percent of the cosmetics tested included them on their ingredient list. Still, it's easy to avoid potential PFAS in cosmetics. You can eschew products touted as long-lasting, or you can, as I suspect I will, continue to wear less makeup after life returns to some semblance of normal. I'd love to see society put less emphasis on changing appearances with makeup (even the "natural look" so popular pre-pandemic takes a lot of time and money). But you might want to check other avenues of exposure in your home. I was crushed to find a study that found high levels of fluorine in the blood of women who use my favorite floss, Oral B Glide. It's the only floss that easily gets between my crowded lower front teeth. The fluorine also could have come from other behaviors under review – consumption of prepared food in coated cardboard containers or having stain-resistant carpet or furniture – and from living in a city served by a PFAS-contaminated water supply. Still, I'll probably play it safe and look for another kind of floss.
Take care! P.S. If you'd like to read more about PFAS, here are a few more stories from The Post: 'Forever chemicals,' other pollutants found around the summit of Everest Opinion: These toxic chemicals are everywhere — even in your body. And they won't ever go away. The Energy 202: Pentagon watchdog agency to examine military's use of toxic 'forever chemicals' 'Not a problem you can run away from': Communities confront the threat of unregulated chemicals in their drinking water And this story from the Wall Street Journal captures so much of what I'm feeling about the cult of productivity, which I wrote about in last week's newsletter (thanks to the readers who told me they feel the same way!): Escaping the Efficiency Trap—and Finding Some Peace of Mind
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