Toxic substances detected in toilet paper? Many daily necessities, do you need to worry?

Recently, the British "Guardian" reported that a class of toxic and harmful substances has been detected in the toilet paper used daily by residents in many places around the world, and it is reported that such substances are likely to cause cancer. Many friends may not help but feel "chrysanthemum" after hearing this news, is it not safe to go to the toilet in the future?

(Image from the Internet)

What exactly is this substance? What other common items in everyday life may contain this kind of thing? Is the damage to health real or nothing?

First, this substance does exist, more precisely a class of substances, known as per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It refers to organic compounds containing at least one perfluorocarbon atom (i.e. containing at least one -CF2- or -CF3-adipo chain building unit), and there are more than 1400 known species, of which perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are relatively common.

(Image from the Internet)

What is PFAS used for? When in life do you come into contact with it?

It is everywhere in our lives. This is a class of synthetic chemicals that are hydrophobic and oleophobic, resistant to high temperatures, and can reduce water surface tension. Adding it to products provides oil, water, fouling and mud resistance, chemical and high temperature resistance, reduced surface friction, surface activity, and more.

Based on this, since the advent of this type of compound, it has become the darling of the processing and manufacturing industry, not only has a long application history, but also has a wide range of applications. From airplane and automobile manufacturing, to dental floss and contact lenses, it is almost every life scene you can imagine.

As you can guess, these items may contain PAFS? For example, packaging materials (food contact paper and cardboard) purchased from supermarkets, leather and clothing worn on the body, kitchen pans and non-stick kitchenware (such as Teflon), waterproof fabrics and carpets on the floor, lubricants and pesticides for agricultural production, tents, raincoats, sun protection for outdoor sports, as well as stain removers, polishes, paints, cleaning products and fireproof foams for daily use, all of which actually have PAFS. This also means that as long as you are alive, it is difficult not to touch. Taking cosmetics as an example, a survey by Environmental Science and Technology Letters found that PFAS were contained in 56% of foundation creams and eyeshadow products, 48% of lipsticks, and 47% of mascaras in 231 cosmetics sold in the US and Canada.

(Image from the Internet)

This is why more and more people are starting to worry, after all, it is too close to our circle of life, too close to detect. If there is a real problem with safety, the damage to health is water drops.

Is this substance really harmful? What are the implications?

There have long been reports of health risks associated with PFAS, such as in November 2022, Japanese groups announced that perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances had been detected in well water used as tap water in the Tama area of Tokyo, and that blood tests for residents had been initiated, but no definitive results had been obtained. More importantly, the WHO is also inconclusive whether it is harmful.

The reason why it is considered that there may be a health threat is mainly related to the following factors.

First, it has extremely high stability and is not easy to decompose. Because the molecular structure of PFAS is a short-chain, medium-chain or long-chain molecule composed of carbon and fluorine, the bond between carbon and fluorine is very stable, whether in the natural environment or in the organism is extremely difficult to decompose, so it is called "permanent chemical".

Second, it has mobility in the environment and may cause global pollution. It can be migrated through water, air, soil, food chains.

Third, it has bioaccumulation, the higher the food chain or the more enrichment. Because it is widespread in the environment and cannot be broken down, it accumulates in the food chain cycle.

Fourth, there may be a certain degree of toxicity. Some studies believe that FPAS compounds pose a hazard to both living organisms and the environment, and more compound types need to be analyzed.

(Image from the Internet)

How big is it a threat to human health?

Although there is some evidence to prove that there may be health effects on human health, there is still a lack of direct and effective evidence. At this stage, the evidence mainly stays in environmental monitoring and animal studies.

On the one hand, there is an exposure to FPAS compounds in the environment. Even though the situation of FPAS has not been systematically recorded for a long time, it has been detected in water bodies and soils in many countries and regions such as Germany and Japan.

On the other hand, there are animal studies that suggest possible health damage. Studies have found that PFOS and PFOS can affect the reproduction and development of animals, liver, kidney and immune system, and may also induce tumors, such as kidney cancer, testicular cancer, etc. Some scholars are concerned that if humans ingest PFAS, it will stay in the human body for a long time, and over time, the level of PFAS in the body may increase to a degree that is detrimental to health. The crux of the question is, to what extent is enrichment harmful? What harm can be caused?

At this stage, the most consistent finding in epidemiological investigations is elevated cholesterol levels in exposed populations. Evidence for its effects on infant birth weight, immune system, cancer, and thyroid hormone disruption is limited.

How should we cope with it in life? Neither the shadow of the snake should be cupped, nor should it be paralyzed.

Although many countries and regions, including the European Union, have applied to restrict the production and use of such substances, there is no consensus, and the World Health Organization continues to pay attention to the safety of this substance. There is no need to be afraid, on the one hand, there is no clear evidence of harm, even if you use toilet paper, toothpicks and other items containing PFAS on a daily basis, they will not enter the body. On the other hand, those items just mentioned still play a very important role in our lives, and I am afraid that they will not be completely limited in the short term until they are replaceable.

However, it is still recommended that everyone can try to make life simple and enjoy a healthy and low-carbon lifestyle. At the same time, pay more attention to some popular science knowledge to avoid panic due to a certain information.