Ohio Capital Journal: It’s raining ‘forever chemicals’ in Cleveland. What’s being done to make Ohio water safe?
UC professor discusses the risks for ‘forever chemicals’ in the environment
Scientists examining rainfall in the Midwest found a surprisingly high amount of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in Cleveland. Those chemicals, known as PFAS or perfluoroalkyl, are used to make food packaging and household products that many Americans consume.
A journalist for Ohio Capital Journal quoted Susan Pinney, PhD, professor in the University of Cincinnati Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, who told members of the U.S. Congress that PFAS chemicals have been linked to health problems including cancer, kidney damage, thyroid difficulties and changes in reproductive hormones that disrupt puberty for girls.
“With any public health problem, the first step is assessment, and we really don’t have an assessment of the extent of exposure to PFAS in drinking water,” Pinney says. “That’s why the approval of the [federal legislation] is so important, because it would require a more universal assessment throughout the United States.”
Learn more about the work of Susan Pinney, PhD, online.
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash.
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