Can PFAS Be Removed from the Body? All About PFAS

Introduction

Hundreds of manmade chemicals called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) exist in many products you buy and use. PFAS accumulate in our environment and in us, potentially leading to severe health problems. To find out more about if PFAS be removed from the body, read on.

How Do PFAS Enter the Body?

You can be exposed to PFAS in all kinds of ways. One of the biggest is by eating foods contaminated with PFAS or drinking water. Water could be contaminated with PFAS, in either private wells or public water systems. This includes chemical contamination, such as from firefighting foam. ⁽¹⁾

You may be eating foods raised or grown in water or soil contaminated with PFAS. Some of these include fish, meat, eggs, and fruits and vegetables. ⁽²⁾

Once we ingest food or water with PFAS, those chemicals remain in our bodies for a long time. Over time, these PFAS accumulate in our tissues. Just like nutrients from the foods we eat, PFAS chemicals enter our bloodstream and travel throughout our bodies. ⁽³⁾

Our bodies know how to process and eliminate waste products and other substances we don’t need. However, because of the chemical composition of PFAS, our bodies don’t seem to know how to process them. So, they just stay with us.

PFAS from Breathing

You could be breathing in PFAS from materials made with them. And you could inhale dust contaminated with PFAS. The PFAS itself is in items in the room — such as carpeting or clothing. ⁽⁴⁾

PFAS from Touch

You could also be exposed to PFAS through skin exposure. This includes by touching substances contaminated with it, such as water. Then you could be affected through showering, bathing, washing dishes, doing laundry, or swimming.

Sometimes, you are exposed to PFAS simply through the products you buy. When cosmetics and other personal care products are applied to your skin, PFAS can enter your body. Non-stick cookware, dental floss, stain resistant carpets, raincoats, and other water resistant clothing, could contain PFAS. ⁽⁵⁾

PFAS in Babies

Women who are pregnant or nursing should take extra care to avoid PFAS. PFAS can move throughout the bloodstream and be passed on to your developing embryo or fetus. PFAS can also be passed on through breast milk. ⁽⁶⁾

Parents should make sure the water they use in baby formula is free of PFAS. Parents should also keep a close eye on your toddlers to make sure they don’t put PFAS products or contaminated foods in their mouth. ⁽⁷⁾

Health Risks of PFAS Exposure

Many different PFAS exist. Generally, health risks of PFAS exposure include: ^{(8) (9)}

• Kidney and testicular cancer.
• Thyroid changes.
• Possible damage to your liver.
• Changes in your liver enzymes.
• Reduced effectiveness of your immune system.
• Increased levels of cholesterol.
• Complications with pregnancy, including pregnancy-induced hypertension and a serious condition affecting a pregnant woman’s blood pressure.
• Decrease in a newborn’s birth weight.

PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they tend to stick around in our environment. They don’t break down easily. They remain in our water and soil. And we continue to be exposed to PFAS through the water we drink and whatever we eat that comes from our soil. ⁽¹⁰⁾

Can the Body Rid Itself of PFAS?

PFAS is not just one particular substance. The types of PFAS number in the thousands. Your body can eliminate amounts of PFAS, over time. However, some may stay with you for decades. ^{(11) (12)}

PFAS are basically made up of chains containing carbon and fluorine. Some PFAS chains are known as “long” and others as “short.” These terms refer to the carbon’s length, which contains a specific number of carbon atoms. Depending on the type of PFAS, long types typically contain eight carbon atoms. Long-chain types of PFAS are sometimes referred to as legacy PFAS. We’ve been trying to do away with them. ^{(13) (14)}

PFAS and Half-Life Elimination

When considering PFAS and how long they stay in our body, scientists use the concept of half-life. Basically, in terms of PFAS in the body, scientists consider the elimination half-life. Elimination half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of the initial concentration of a substance to leave your body. ⁽¹⁵⁾

Mostly, PFAS leave the body in our urine. Depending on the specific PFAS, the half-life elimination varies a lot. Scientists estimate that the elimination half-life for PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) in human beings is 2.1 to 10.1 years. The elimination half-life for PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is 3.3 to 27 years. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Scientists generally think shorter PFAS chains have a shorter half-life. What this means for us is that our bodies may get rid of them faster. ⁽¹⁷⁾

How Long Does It Take for PFAS to Leave the Body?

There isn’t one right answer for how long it takes for PFAS to leave your body. Some PFAS could remain in your body for just a few years. Others could stay in your body for decades, even your entire life. ⁽¹⁸⁾

Testing for PFAS Exposure

PFAS can be detected in blood. PFAS can also be found in urine, breast milk, and umbilical cord blood, but at much lower levels. Most people have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood. Testing is available, but there is no specific treatment if you have PFAS in your body. ⁽¹⁹⁾

How Do I Know If I Have PFAS in My Body?

There is a way you can determine if you have PFAS in your body. You can get your blood tested for PFAS levels. Results would tell you how much of a specific PFAS is in your blood. ⁽²⁰⁾

If you want to get your blood tested for PFAS, talk to your healthcare providers. They may be able to advise you on whether or not the test is right for you. However, keep in mind that PFAS blood tests can be expensive. You may have to cover the cost yourself, since your insurance company may not cover the cost. Also, a blood test may not predict possible future health problems or tell you if any medical conditions you have today are due to PFAS exposure. ⁽²¹⁾

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides a PFAS blood level estimation tool for people exposed to PFAS through their drinking water. However, this tool just provides an estimate. Blood tests offer more definite results. ⁽²²⁾

How to Protect Yourself from Further Exposure to PFAS

A common way you can be exposed to PFAS is through contaminated drinking water. You can take steps to protect yourself from PFAS in your water. The first thing you can do is to find out if PFAS are in the water your public water system provides. You can ask your water provider for information on PFAS in your water or ask them to test your water. ⁽²³⁾

If your water provider doesn’t have the answers you need, or if you get your water from a private well, you can test your water yourself. If so, be sure to use a state-certified laboratory that follows U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. ⁽²⁴⁾

If you are still concerned about your water after taking these steps, contact your state health department, your state EPA, and your local water provider to see what they recommend. ⁽²⁵⁾

Install a Water Filter

To safeguard your water, you can install your own in-home water treatment, such as a filter, to reduce the amount of PFAS in your water. You can choose from different options, including activated carbon treatments, ion exchange treatments, and high-pressure membranes. To find out more, visit Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water with Treatment Technologies on the EPA website. ^{(26) (27)}

Eliminate Fish with PFAS from Your Diet

You can also be exposed to PFAS through foods, such as fish. Fish from some waterways are more likely to be contaminated with PFAS than others. You can contact your fish advisory program using the EPA’s State, Territory and Tribe Fish Advisory Contacts list to find out the waterways that are most dangerous. You can also limit the fish you eat or stop eating it altogether if you suspect it is contaminated. ^{(28) (29)}

Don’t Buy Products Containing PFAS

When it comes to clothing, you can visit a specific brand’s website to see if the brand says it has stopped using PFAS in its products. You can also visit the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Going Out of Fashion scorecard on PFAS in clothing PFAS Central, created by the Green Science Policy Institute, provides a list of products and brands claiming to be free of PFAS. ^{(30) (31) (32)}

To safeguard your family from household products, limit your PFAS exposure by not buying anything labeled stain or water repellent. Particularly when it comes to baby products, rugs, bedding, and furniture. More than likely, stain or water repellent means PFAS have been added. ⁽³³⁾

When cooking, avoid nonstick pans. Stainless steel, glass, cast-iron, and ceramic are less likely to contain PFAS. Also, don’t heat up food items that come in grease resistant packaging. The packaging can have PFAS. And make popcorn the old-fashioned way, on the stove or over a fire. ⁽³⁴⁾

Read Ingredient Labels

For purchases with ingredients, read the labels. For example, labels on retail cosmetics products are supposed to provide a list of ingredients. The first ingredients listed make up most of the product. Common PFAS to avoid include perfluorohexylethyl triethoxysilane, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetradecyl aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric urea trifluoroacetate, trifluoropropyl cyclotetrasiloxane, and trifluoropropyl cyclopentasiloxane. ⁽³⁵⁾

W&L: A Trusted Source for Legal Help

Weitz & Luxenberg can help if you have been exposed to PFAS. We’ve been handling PFAS exposure cases for more than a decade. PFAS hurt people across the country, whether through dangerous products or environmental pollution.

We are a national law firm, with the staff, the resources, and the knowledge that comes with going up against some of the largest companies in the country. We also help state government agencies, municipalities, and regional communities when they face an environmental crisis.

If you have been exposed to PFAS and are suffering from exposure, we invite you to contact us for a free initial consultation.

Are You Suffering From PFAS Exposure? Call Weitz & Luxenberg Today

Weitz & Luxenberg has been supporting people across the country harmed by PFAS exposure for years. One of our greatest achievements is helping clients injured from water contaminated with PFAS.

In recent years, we have helped win hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of communities harmed by contaminated drinking water. We get communities the compensation they deserve.

We can help you explore your concerns about the question, can PFAS be removed from the body? And if you are injured from PFAS exposure, we can help you explore your rights to compensation.

Whether you as an individual are injured or your entire community or neighborhood is harmed, we can help. Our experienced attorneys have been down this road before.

We have made it our mission to help people harmed by the actions or inactions of others. Give us a call at (917) LAWYERS to see how we can help you.