FOOD FOR THOUGHT
By Carolyn R. Choate
Unless you’ve been living in a bomb shelter like Adam Webber in the 1999 cult favorite, Blast from the Past, you know that PFAS are bad. Bad for you, bad for the environment, bad at any level and cumulative in effect. Forever chemicals. Lingering in humans for years. And causing havoc.
The body is a magnificent machine. Designed to fend off enemy invaders. The lymphatic system kicks in in the presence of PFAS and scientists see an alarming increase in immuno-related and hormone-disrupting diseases, including cancer.
A 2023 study of 88 thyroid cancer patients at Mount Sinai found PFOS exposure – a systemic PFAS chemical in municipal water – accounted for a 56% cancer increase using sensitive detection imaging. (eBioMedicine, October 2023) (I’m still recovering from advanced thyroid cancer diagnosed in 2022.)
Humans ingest an average 14 ng – 17 ng PFAS per day. (Journal of Exposure Science & Epidemiology, January 2024.) They will be absorbed by the intestines and transported to the liver and kidney to be filtered but won’t succeed. As PFAS cannot be broken down, the liver and kidney merely return PFAS to the bloodstream.
“It’s pretty remarkable, in my opinion, that PFAS chemicals can affect so many parts of the body in adverse ways,” said Patrick Breysse, the former director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the CDC, during a presentation to a Massachusetts task force on PFAS, “Not many chemicals have such a breadth of effect.”
Something to keep in mind: by law, all New Hampshire health insurance companies offering major medical insurance are mandated to cover PFAS and PFC blood testing for state residents. (www.insurance.nh-gov/pfas-faqs#)
While we can’t totally eliminate the PFAS poison already perpetrated on us by an indifferent industrial complex, we don’t have to lay down and die (yet). We can demand change. We can demand accountability. And we can change our lifestyle with a goal of optimal health under suboptimal conditions.
Actions to decrease PFAS/PFOS exposure and absorption:
- Invest in a water filtration system that eliminates PFAS because drinking water is the biggest source of exposure. Folks, a Brita pitcher won’t cut it. You need a reverse osmosis or activated carbon filter system. Choose either a whole house, large countertop, or small countertop model. Prices vary. I use an AquaTru Classic Countertop. Don’t want to spend $400? Stop drinking commercial beverages tainted with PFAS and it will pay for itself in no time. Use it for coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. I’ve had my filter for over a year and have only replaced 1 of 3 filters twice.
Most commercial beverages, including milk, have detectable levels of PFAS as they use municipal water for manufacturing. Beer: 95% of beers tested nationally have PFAS with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. (Environmental Science & Technology, June 2025.) Studies show sparkling water has higher levels of PFAS on average than soda with Consumer Report naming the worst offenders in 2024 with over 1 ppt (part per trillion): Topo Chico (9.76 ppt), Polar Seltzer (6.41 ppt), Poland Spring (1.66 ppt), La Croix (1.16), and Perrier (1.1 ppt). Commercial beverage manufacturers use municipal polluted with PFAS/PFOS.
- Poop on you, PFAS! Eat your oats. Or barley, rye, even seaweed. All have the binding chemical BETA-GLUCAN in common. It binds to PFAS in your poop pipes, trapping them to be excreted and preventing them from being reabsorbed. Choose organic or you might as well swallow a teaspoon of Roundup aka glyphosate, another infamous toxin. I eat three bowls of rolled oats a week with organic unsweetened EdenSoy milk, double filtered with reverse osmosis to eliminate PFAS. According to research, this tactic decreases PFAS from the body by 3 to 5%.
- Arm Your Arteries with Folic Acid (470 mcg daily). Multiple studies show a significant reduction in PFAS concentrations in the bloodstream including red blood cells, modified immune antibodies for protection, as well an effect on lipid metabolism for a cardiovascular benefit in the face of PFAS exposure.
- Just Stop It! In the kitchen: non-stick cookware, food-grade plastics/waxed paper – especially pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, fast food wrappers that resist grease. Seafood, particularly shrimp and lobster, is high in PFAS due to pervasive PFAS ocean pollution. Poultry, beef, pork, livestock ingest PFAS in numerous ways ie feed, water, etc, which humans ultimately ingest.
Any waterproof chemical/product including cosmetics – mascara, nail polish, traditional dental floss; furniture stain/water repellents. Synthetic carpet: get rid of it if possible, especially if you have children. The micro-fibers break down continually, are airborne and inhaled. Otherwise, vacuum frequently with a HEPA filter.
- Advocate for change! Remember, no level is safe. Younger and future generations depend on us. This shouldn’t be a political issue. It affects all people globally. Young and old, rich and poor, all ethnicities. It won’t be easy, but we owe it to ourselves and each other to work together for solutions that offer attainable goals with accountability from industrial sources. Voice your concern to your elected officials; they represent you!
Carolyn R. Choate, a lifelong foodie, has discovered a deeper relationship between health and diet. She is certified in whole food, plant-based nutrition from Cornell’s T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. You can reach her at crchoate13@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: The writer’s experiences and observations are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to provide medical advice about the avoidance, diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Medical advice should be sought from a qualified healthcare professional.