The Wrinkles in Getting ‘Forever Chemicals’ Out of Our Clothes

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2023

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

So-called “forever chemicals” are seemingly everywhere. A recent government study found close to half of U.S. tap water contains at least one PFAS chemical. They’re also on a lot of our clothes, where the chemicals are used to promote water resistance or repel stains. But some of the things that make PFAS so effective also means they stay in our bodies for years. And these chemicals have been linked to health issues, including high cholesterol and an increased risk of kidney cancer. Now, as clothing companies look to eliminate PFAS from their products, they’re facing another challenge: what to replace the chemicals with—ideally without sacrificing performance. WSJ’s Alex Ossola dives into the textile industry’s efforts to move on from PFAS and change our expectations around our clothing. Further reading: Lots of Tap Water Contains ‘Forever Chemicals.’ Take These Steps to Reduce Your Risk. What to Know About ‘Forever Chemicals,’ or PFAS, and Your Health How ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are All Around Us, From Winter Coats to Fast-Food Wrappers EPA Proposes Limits for ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Coastal Town Brings Mass Litigation—and an ‘Existential Threat’—to Chemical Giants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Join the Wall Street Journal online October 12th for WSJ Pro Sustainable Business Forum
0:05.9	and take away practical advice on how to build a sustainability strategy that's right for your business.
0:11.5	From now until September 21st, you can save 25% on your ticket by registering at WSJ.com
0:18.8	slash Sustainable Business, no code required. That's WSJ.com slash Sustainable Business.
0:25.2	I recently visited a big department store in Manhattan to look for some clothes.
0:32.4	Excuse me? Hi, could you tell me where the pants are?
0:35.7	Buying any new garment means taking a lot of factors into account.
0:39.6	There's the color and the style, what it's made of,
0:42.6	you didn't get none. Shell is nylon. And of course, the price.
0:49.0	Oh my god, it's $100. But Linda Bernbaum, the former director of the National Institute
0:55.0	of Environmental Help Sciences, keeps something else in mind when she goes shopping.
0:59.5	If I'm buying a new pair of hiking boots, I don't want the ones that are labeled
1:04.0	totally water repellent because I know what that means.
1:08.0	What that means is that the boots were probably coated with per and polyfloorinated substances
1:13.5	or PFAS. It's a group of thousands of chemicals used on products like frying pans,
1:18.6	dental floss, cosmetics, and food packaging.
1:22.0	These chemicals are extensively used to repel water, provide resistance to things
1:27.5	that are used a lot in tremendous amount of different consumer products.
1:31.3	But the chemistry that makes PFAS so stable also means they tend not to break down,
1:36.8	which means they can build up in the environment and sometimes in our bodies.
1:41.4	And studies have indicated that exposure to some kinds of PFAS may not be good for us.
1:46.8	There's growing evidence that PFAS can cause effects in almost every tissue and every organ
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Wall Street Journal, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Wall Street Journal and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.