Attention: Toilet Paper Containing PFAS

PFAS-Containing Toilet Paper Raises Concerns Researchers have found that toilet paper waste containing perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)—synthetic chemicals—can contaminate groundwater. According to Healthline reporting, researchers from the University of Florida in the US examined toilet paper samples sold in the Americas, Western Europe and Africa, as well as samples from wastewater treatment facilities in the US. In their examination of toilet paper samples, researchers identified "polyfluoroalkyl phosphate (diPAP)," a compound that converts to PFAS and has carcinogenic effects. The researchers concluded that diPAP levels detected in toilet paper corresponded to approximately 4 percent of diPAP found in the US and Canada, 35 percent in Sweden, and 89 percent in France. Researchers noted that PFAS enters US wastewater systems from cosmetics, textiles, food packaging or other sources. Some manufacturers are reported to use PFAS in certain processes of toilet paper production. Dr. Katie Pelch, a researcher at the Natural Resources Defense Council based in New York, has warned that PFAS contamination of drinking water poses risks to human health. Pelch noted that groundwater is also used in agriculture, pointing out that crops and agricultural products would be affected by this contamination. The research findings were published in the journal of the American Chemical Society.

Source