Are there 'forever chemicals' in your drinking water?
5/14/202620 min
Virtually all of us have PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in our drinking water. These manmade substances have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol, thyroid disease and more. This episode, take steps to reduce the buildup of these chemicals in your body with tips from reporter and host of the podcast Safe to Drink Mara Hoplamazian -- like getting special water filters and checking other items in your home that may contain PFAS, like nonstick pans.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Marielle Segarra· Host0:30
You're listening to Life Kit [upbeat music] from NPR. Hey, it's Marielle. I want you to look around your home. Do you have a non-stick frying pan, a raincoat, dental floss designed to slide easily between your teeth? All of these items have something in common. They often contain man-made chemicals called PFAS. That stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Mara Hoplamazian· Guest0:56
They're in a lot of stuff that we as humans really like, like non-stick pans that are really great for frying eggs or raincoats that keep you really dry, but the same qualities that make them useful also make them really difficult to break down, so they can stick around for a long time in our bodies and the environment.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:14
New Hampshire Public Radio reporter Mara Hoplamazian has spent years reporting on PFAS, which are also known as forever chemicals.
Mara Hoplamazian· Guest1:21
One reason for that nickname is that they're super strong, in part because one of the things that unites this whole group of chemicals is that