Is PFAS not worse than witches and sorcery?

The e -mail came from a retired professor. He was critical that I had written an article about the PFAS subject TFA Nowadays, in the groundwater, there is almost everywhere where the state geologists in Sweden’s geological survey SGU take their samples – and that the toxicological council warns that the increasing occurrence of TFA is a potential chemical risk.

TFA is formed, among other things, when larger PFAS substances are broken down into small pieces. Two large sources are the refrigerants used in refrigerators and air conditioning plants as well as some pesticides in agriculture.

The subject is already classified as an environmental toxin, as it damages aquatic organisms. The toxicological council refers to studies showing that TFA can interfere with the reproduction in mammals – and that the substance is not broken down. When it comes out into nature, it stays and follows in the water cycle.

Except for drinking water Therefore, fruits, vegetables and other foods are also polluted. To top it all, the TFA molecule is so small that it is extremely difficult and costly to clean away.

However, the concentrations that have so far been measured in groundwater are not considered to be dangerous to people. Therefore, the retired professor thought the text is painting a scary scenario that can lead to « people with a troubled nature » suffering poorly.

« Over the years we have seen similar alarms appear time and time again, » he wrote and thus attached a list he had received from Grok 3.

It contained examples of things that people should have worried about unnecessarily – everything from vaccines, microwave ovens and sweeteners to fast train journeys, witches and sorcery and Halley’s comet.

According to Elon Musk, Grok 3, in addition to his sharp artificial intelligence, also has a sense of humor and sarcasm. So the list may be read with the right twinkle in the eye. But still.

What worries The toxicological council and a large number of research groups in both Sweden and other countries do not remind witches and sorcery. It is also not really about the concentrations of TFA that exist in nature today, but the fact that concentration is constantly increasing. Since TFA does not break down or disappear, it is an inevitable development, as long as emissions continue.

Sooner or later, the concentration can reach dangerous levels.

« Then the question is whether we should wait until the exposure is so high that we see clear health effects, or whether we should decide that we do not want high levels of foreign substances that remain forever in our living environment, » says Toxicologist Mattias Öberg, who has been in particular focus on PFAS subjects in his research.

Knowledge that can help us to decide on future dangers I think is worth reporting. Although it can be worrying.

What happens by the way If you ask Grok 3 to produce examples of things that we know today is dangerous to health, but which initially wiped away as harmless?

Well, then you get a long list of everything from asbestos, DDT and mercury to lead, cigarettes and… pfas.

Grok 3 explains that some PFAS can increase the risk of cancer, hormone disorders and liver damage. And so there is a reference to a side of the Swedish Chemicals Agency. There you will find the following sentence: « For most PFAS substances, however, there is no knowledge of their effects on health, but there are strong reasons to consider all PFAS as harmful. »

Read more:

PFAS in wine top of an iceberg: « Finds it basically everywhere »

DN Debate. « Permanent poison alarms scares us unnecessarily »

DN Debate Replicas. « That the dose makes the poison is a rough simplification »