NEVER MADEWITH

PFASs + PFCs

WHAT PFASs, PFOAs + PFCs ARE

Perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFAs, PFOAs + PFCs) are used worldwide as an industrial surfactant.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM + WHY MADEWITH DOESN’T ALLOW THEM

These chemicals can be found in foundations, primers, and other cream or liquid cosmetic products. They are linked to cancer and environmental destruction. PFAS are considered “Forever Chemicals” with an astonishing level of environmental persistence.

Furthermore, the Environmental protection Agency states “PFAS can be found in:

  • Food packaged in PFAS-containing materials, processed with equipment that used PFAS, or grown in PFAS-contaminated soil or water.
  • Commercial household products, including stain- and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products (e.g., Teflon), polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams (a major source of groundwater contamination at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurs).
  • Workplace, including production facilities or industries (e.g., chrome plating, electronics manufacturing or oil recovery) that use PFAS.
  • Drinking water, typically localized and associated with a specific facility (e.g., manufacturer, landfill, wastewater treatment plant, firefighter training facility).
  • Living organisms, including fish, animals and humans, where PFAS have the ability to build up and persist over time.”

Certain PFAS chemicals are no longer manufactured in the United States as a result of phase-outs including the PFOA Stewardship Program in which eight major chemical manufacturers agreed to eliminate the use of PFOA and PFOA-related chemicals in their products and as emissions from their facilities.” [1]

WHERE THEY’RE BANNED OR RESTRICTED

PFOAs were banned in the United States in 2014. The EPA has also proposed further regulation on PFAs. The European Union banned PFOs in 2008, and PFOAs will be banned by 2020.

WHERE WE'RE GETTING OUR INFORMATION

[1] EPA. Basic Information on PFAS/What are PFAS? https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas

[2] EPA. Risk Management for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) under TSCA. (2006). https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas#tab-3

[3] Business Insider. ‘Forever chemicals’ linked to cancer and developmental issues lurk in the blood of almost every American. Here’s how to avoid them. (2019). https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-pfas-in-water-and-food-2019-8

[4] NIH. NCBI. PFOA and Cancer in a Highly Exposed Community: New Findings from the C8 Science Panel. (2013). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3855507

[5] Live Science. 12 Worst Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals & Their Health Effects. (2013). https://www.livescience.com/40733-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-health.html

[6] European Environmental Agency. Emerging chemical risks in Europe — ‘PFAS’. (2020). https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/chemicals/emerging-chemical-risks-in-europe