from Hacker News

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate indoor air at worrying levels

by hiddencache on 8/31/21, 1:03 PM with 144 comments

• by doitLP on 8/31/21, 3:34 PM

  The problem is not PFAS. It is extreme regulatory capture that got us to the this point. Even if we ban PFAS tomorrow, there are other alternatives that will be used and another 2 decades of lies and cover ups before we find out what harm those chemicals have.

  Example: look at what happened when BPAs harms became known. Manufacturers switched to using any of the other 40 chemicals in the same bisphenol family (BPS, etc) many of which had even worse safety profiles, while proudly proclaiming their products were "BPA free".

  We need to flip the approval process on its head -- from "safe until proven otherwise" to "unsafe until (independently) proven safe". The tally of harm to all life caused by these chemicals is on a massive scale that any mass murderer would be proud of.

• by chamsom on 8/31/21, 2:32 PM

  California law TB117 required fire retardant foam until 2015 so a lot of couches have PFAS. This is an example of creating a problem by trying to avoiding another. Of course, this is not to single out CA as this is a global problem.

  Could be wrong but it seems like the general rule is that manufacturers are allowed to "experiment in public" when it comes to chemical science. PFAS alternatives are already in the wild and we don't know what those do either.

  Here's what you can do:

  1. Open windows to your house, but also your car which contains PFAS in the upholstery

  2. Minimize dust w/ vacuum, HEPA filters

  3. Reduce use of old couches which stirs up dust until you replace it

  4. Minimize polyurethane foam products - polyster foam is better

  5. Paper/biodegradable takeout containers and fast food packaging have PFAS lined so the paper doesn't absorb oil etc.

• by cjlars on 8/31/21, 4:29 PM

  I recently retrofit a new HVAC system and as a result have also gone on a bit of a deep dive on indoor air quality. The big thing I learned is that most homes -- even old "leaky" builds -- have rather poor ventilation, meaning all sorts of compounds build up in the air... CO2, formaldehyde, VOCs, PFAS, etc. Air purifiers work for particulate, but don't really make a dent for chemicals. IIRC, You would need like a 50 gallon drum of activated carbon to do anything on the chemical front.

  A quick solution is to crack the windows, or if you live in a non-temperate climate, install an energy recovery ventilating system.

• by q_andrew on 8/31/21, 2:00 PM

  This contributes to the theory that PFAS is affecting ambient obesity rates in the modern world: https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/26/a-chemical-hunger-p...

• by detcader on 8/31/21, 2:08 PM

  I can't stomach the science "journalism" here. Most of the statements about the research is that studies "found" the chemicals here or there. Ok, I can "find" various sources of cancer-related radiation in my sock drawer. Particularly annoying:

  "It found particularly high levels in several kindergarten classrooms and also checked the supply room of an outdoor clothing store, offices, several university classrooms, university labs and an elevator."

  Thank goodness we the public have the crucial information that the study checked these places.

• by defaulty on 8/31/21, 1:27 PM

  Are there air purifiers that filter these? I have not seen them on list of what air purifiers can filter

• by hmm320 on 8/31/21, 2:12 PM

  How does one know if their clothing is PFAS-free if it doesn't specifically say?

• by ffhhj on 8/31/21, 3:51 PM

  I'm designing a wearable device, and I'm looking for resistant materials, different from metals, that are safe to use on the skin. According to Wikipedia PTFE (teflon) is not harmful. Could someone recommend materials to protect the electronics from sweat/dirt and the skin from the device silicone?

• by slumdev on 8/31/21, 2:10 PM

  My takeaways:

  1. Open the windows as often as weather allows.

  2. Don't use nonstick pans unless they're cast iron or some kind of fired enamel.

  3. Use a water purifier.

• by forgotmypw17 on 8/31/21, 3:34 PM

  ,,cleaning,, products, even dish and hand soap

  new furniture and clothes

  any sort of spray or solvent

  ...

  read the ingredients if available

  avoid if it smells synthetic

  avoid places where you encounter them

  ...

  edit: for the downvoters, try googling "indoor air pollution voc"

  example: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200909-why-indoor-air-p...