We know that society’s current lifestyle is exposing us all to a range of potentially harmful chemicals and substances.
Humans are full of microplastics, and we don’t know what the effects might be. Sharks are testing positive for drugs, from caffeine and OTC painkillers to cocaine. Manufacturing and other processes are dumping waste into our water supplies, and this affects not only wildlife but also the water we give our kids and use to make our babies’ formula.
Now scientists have examined the effects of one forever chemical and believe it may be “the most developmentally toxic” of them all, potentially causing cranial deformations and other changes to your baby’s face while he’s still in utero.
What Do We Know About PFDA?
An important caveat: these tests have been performed on cells in lab settings, not on actual human or animal fetuses. Researchers know what forever chemicals can do to cells, and how that damage is likely to affect development. They’ve also compared the presence of a specific chemical in maternal blood with a specific facial feature in their children, and there has been longstanding concern and suspicion due to facial deformities in children of factory workers in the 1970s.
In other words, researchers have gathered substantial supporting evidence and now have lab results to begin to understand why this chemical can be so damaging to development.
According to Study Finds, a screening of 139 of these man-made chemicals found one, called PDFA, to be the most developmentally toxic, showing up in the maternal blood of mothers whose children have a narrowing of their eye-opening width, suggesting that it may be related to a disruption in facial development during the fetal stage.
Now, lab testing is helping to understand why this happens and what else we might expect from exposure.
What’s A Forever Chemical, Anyway?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledges both the potential for harm from these chemicals and that we do not yet know just how much harm they could be doing to humans, animals, and the environment.
Forever chemicals, also known as PFAs (polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl), are widely used in manufacturing. They’re used to create nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, firefighting foams, and cosmetics, just to name a few.
Because they don’t easily break down, and because they’ve been used so much, they’re everywhere — in people’s blood, in soil, in fish, in water, and in all sorts of food products, and the EPA is working with scientists to try to figure out ways to clean them up.
Meanwhile, manufacturing continues, and so does industrial dumping, so the prevalence of these chemicals in our environment just keeps rising.
What Did The Lab Tests Show?
As mentioned, researchers already associated a specific PFA, known as PFDA (short for perfluorodecanoic acid, used to make grease-proof and stain-proof coatings for furniture and packaging), with particularly insidious potential effects on fetal development.
Now, researchers believe they know why.
During fetal development, a specific enzyme regulates the production of retinoic acid, which plays a variety of roles in the development of the face, eyes, and skull, as well as the nervous system. In lab settings, PFDA reduced that enzyme by as much as 93% — far more than any other PFA tested.
They specifically found that the presence of PDFA interfered with cellular functions involved in the formation of the face and skull.
At the very high levels tested in the lab setting, the result is dramatic. In human exposure levels, outcomes might range from slight facial changes to missing features. (The suspected cases in the 70s, to the children of factory workers, are described as having “craniofacial abnormalities including malformed or missing eyes and nostrils.”)
What Does This Mean For Parents & Babies?
This research won’t change much for families immediately.
If maternal blood levels are already high, Dr. Aaron Bernstein, the director for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, told AMA Update in 2024, there’s no currently known way to cleanse them, and they have long half-lives (sometimes over a decade) in the body.
Over time, a better understanding of why PFAs harm fetal development may lead to methods to reduce their effects, but right now it just means we have a clearer understanding of the risk, especially for those with higher exposure levels.
What Can We Do?
While researchers look for answers, the general public (including parents) can take a few actions to protect themselves and their children from PFAs.
One is to reach out to your legislators with input on manufacturing regulations, including the use of PFAs and waste disposal.
The other is to attempt to limit your personal exposure. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recommends a few ways to do this.
Filtering your water may be the most effective step. The EWG has tested several filters for their effectiveness in removing PFAs and ranked them, with three options (Travel Berkey, Zero Water, and Clearly Filtered) removing 100% of PFAs in their tests.
Next is to limit the use of food in grease-proof or paperboard packaging, such as microwave popcorn and many takeout foods, and locally-sourced freshwater fish. (The EWG did not find equally high levels of PFAs in commercial fish sold in grocery stores.)
You can also protect your food from PFAs by limiting or eliminating the use of non-stick pans, replacing them with cast iron, glass, or stainless steel.
Finally, limit exposure to clothing and other fabric products marketed as stain-proof, waterproof, or greaseproof, and when in doubt, research specific companies or products to help avoid textiles containing PFAs.
