The Dangers of PFOA/C8: It’s Already In You

The Dangers of PFOA/C8: It’s Already In You

It really should be no surprise that cancer is running rampant through humans (and even animals). Almost everyone on the planet has had a personal experience with one form or another of this cell destroying disease.

All you have to do is look at what we eat, wear, cook with, play with and so much more. The Industrial Revolution and the blind greed of free enterprise seem to have hijacked most of your chances at optimal health.

Now, it costs more money if you want to avoid the potential lethality of your surroundings by purchasing expensive organic food, organic clothing, solar energy, and the so many other offshoots of ways to rise above our toxic environment.

However, adaptation may be more of a defensive because scientists are now uncovering that 99.7% of Americans alone show signs of having the chemical Perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) aka C8 in their blood.

This discovery becomes even worse because it has also unveiled the fact that manufacturers have known of the dangers of this chemical for years.

What is it?

PFOA is a man-made chemical used in things like Teflon (that non-stick coating covering cookware), fast-food packaging, fabric treatments such as carpet cleaners and even ski wax (used to make skis more efficient).

The chemical industry, particularly the toxic Big Chem giant Dupont, has been using PFOA since the 1940’s because it is a highly stable compound. It is capable of creating a friction-less surface and it does not react with other chemicals.

This is known as a fluorine-carbon bond which to date is one of the strongest in the industry. It is the type of performance the chemical industries are constantly searching for as it can enhance production creating more convenient opportunities for consumers.

It seems as though modern society’s appetite for the convenience of faster, easier, and cheaper once gain results in a recipe for a “it’s too good to be true” scenario. It also, once again, confirms that patience with natural remedies still is the ultimate in a safe, healthier outcome.

So Stable it Won’t Leave

PFOA is such a stable chemical that it remains in the environment long after its use has been completed.

According to the American Cancer Society,

“PFOA has the potential to be a health concern because it can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. Studies have found that it is present worldwide at very low levels in just about everyone’s blood. Higher blood levels have been found in community residents where local water supplies have been contaminated by PFOA. People exposed to PFOA in the workplace can have levels many times higher.”

The ACS continues to report that PFOA can be found “at low levels in some foods, drinking water, and in household dust”.

This kind of staying power may attribute to the fact that cancer statistics continue to rise. PFOA has been studied on animals and humans with reports that all confirm the potential for development of various cancers including:

  • Testicular
  • Thyroid
  • Liver
  • Prostate
  • Bladder
  • Ovarian

Even though most data suggests that the amount of PFOA in heavily used products such as non-stick cookware is minimal, over time systemic accumulation can occur. Therefore, as PFOA does not dissipate quickly it can embed itself in humans and over years of doing so manifest into one form of cancer or another.

They Line Them Up

The chemical giant, Dupont, was eventually held responsible in a class action suit that proved its knowledge of the hidden dangers of PFOA for over 50 years. As a result, the chemical has been slowly phased out of production only to prop up yet another one in its place.

Researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had to study water samples downriver from a Dupont plant in North Carolina for over one year. They had to do this because Dupont and many other chemical companies like it, are able to keep the ingredients to their chemical formulas a secret. So, with taxpayers money, the EPA were finally able to determine that,

“a new generation of replacement compounds is now out in the environment,…[with] the same chemical performance properties [as the older generation of PFCs, like C8]. This would also suggest,…that their toxicity and environmental persistence are likely to be similar as well.”

What You Can Do

Even though it is impossible to rid your body of PFOA, and many other chemical toxins, there are ways to prevent further accumulation.

Some suggestions would be to:

  • Replace Teflon or non-stick cookware with stainless steel or cast-iron
  • Avoid purchasing carpets that have been treated with stain or water-resistant chemicals
  • Do not clean carpets with high chemical treatments
  • Refrain from eating fast food packaged in food wrappers, french fry holders, pizza boxes and microwaved popcorn bags
  • Don’t use ski wax

Try to refrain from convenient eating and cleaning products. Get back to nature by choosing fresh produce, non-processed foods and natural household items. PFOA is just one of many chemicals leaching their way into our food, water and air sources. Don’t let these Big Chem companies take away your optimal health more than they already have.