In an article published on May 11, 2015 by the science news provider ScienceNordic, journalist Lise Brix reports on substitution of fluorinated compounds. As Brix highlights, newest research results show that some more recently used perfluorinated substances, namely, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA, CAS 335-76-2), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS, CAS 355-46-4) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA, CAS 375-95-1) may be associated with an increased risk of a miscarriage (FPF reported). The recently published “Madrid Statement on Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)” also warns that new alternatives may be just as damaging as old fluorinated compounds (FPF reported).
Eva Cecilie Bonefeld-Jørgensen, professor at Aarhus University, Denmark studies PFNA and PFDA. In her experiments on human cells, Bonefeld-Jørgensen found both substances to exhibit endocrine disrupting properties. According to Bonefeld-Jørgensen, authorities should ban the use of all types of perfluorinated substances and certainly those substances that have shown clear signs of adverse health effects. Xenia Trier, researcher at the Danish Technical University and member of the Food Packaging Forum’s Scientific Advisory Board, also believes that fluorinated substances should be regulated and their use limited. Trier stresses that all fluorinated substances are persistent in the environment and many of them, including PFNA and PFDA, have a potential to accumulate in wildlife and humans. According to Trier’s experiments, these fluorinated chemicals can migrate from food contact materials into food.
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Lise Brix (May 11, 2015). “Endocrine disrupters in food and clothing replaced by equally dangerous chemicals.” ScienceNordic
