If you read the headlines, you’d think nobody knew anything about PFAS. These chemicals are toxic. They’re in everything. The industry doesn’t seem to have been reading the news on lawsuits related to their products for the last few decades.
Meanwhile, (and thank god), someone’s been working on a fix to defuse these chemical atrocities. UCLA and Northwestern University have found a way to break them down into harmless chemicals.
A culture of contempt
Industrial chemistry is a remarkably insular sector even by corporate standards. Somehow, even the idea of problems is dismissed. Like glyphosate, PFAS is somehow “safe”, according to someone. It isn’t.
The usual corporate contempt for public safety is as much of a risk as the chemicals. The other culture, of paying fines and simply continuing to pollute, is the working mechanism for a very sick environment. Nothing at all is being done about that. Polluters should be forced to comply or be shut down. There’s no level of safety for PFAS products.
Given the total lack of interest on any safety issue in corporate America, this lack of understanding of basic information is understandable. The usual non-movement, lack of compliance and lack of cooperation is standard practice. This level of irresponsibility is largely responsible for turning what we used to call “the world” into a pole to pole sewer.
The “forever chemicals” are a major global problem. PFAS in particular is a major offender. The health risks are well known. PFAS products are used in everything from firefighting to shampoos.
That’s also why nobody does much about it; there’s a lot of money in killing people and making them sick. To add to the general bliss, there was no known way of breaking these chemicals down until now.
That’s what’s so important about UCLA and Northwestern University’s work. A simple, efficient fix is needed for a universal plague of chemicals. PFAS has many variants, and this method works on many of them.
The new methodology effectively “mineralizes” the compounds, making them harmless. That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but the paper published explains the core issues. This method is the classic “break it down” approach using a reagent. There’s nothing particularly incomprehensible about the method; it’s the total lack of interest that’s been the main issue for manufacturers.
The time has come for this well-insulated industrial culture to go, and take its brattish evangelists with it. Find the problem, fix the problem, and move on to the next problem. …And get rid of the people and culture causing the problems.
For future reference, assuming there is a future, and if there is, it’ll be no thanks to the causes of the problems:
- All compounds should have a clear breakdown formula.
- NO products with dangerous toxicity levels should be allowed into general use.
- Regulations MUST be enforced strictly to the point of liquidation if necessary.
So, if you’re seriously thinking of not dying of an avoidable issue, get cracking.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
