Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe
Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe
Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.
Discovered during the Manhattan Project, these ‘waterproof’ chemicals bind to every living thing’s cells with only bad results. 3M knew since the late 70’s and has continued to manufacture enough to contaminate all the freshwater on Earth.
In April, the EPA took two historic steps to reduce exposure to PFAS. It said that PFOS and PFOA are “likely to cause cancer” and that no level of either chemical is considered safe; it deemed them hazardous substances under the Superfund law, increasing the government’s power to force polluters to clean them up. The agency also set limits for six PFAS in drinking water. In a few years, when the EPA begins enforcing the new regulations, local utilities will be required to test their water and remove any amount of PFOS or PFOA which exceeds four parts per trillion — the equivalent of one drop dissolved in several Olympic swimming pools. 3M has produced enough PFOS and chemicals that degrade into PFOS to exceed this level in all of the freshwater on earth. Meanwhile, many other PFAS continue to be used, and companies are still developing new ones. Thousands of the compounds have been produced; the Department of Defense still depends on many for use in explosives, semiconductors, cleaning fluids and batteries. PFAS can be found in nonstick cookware, guitar strings, dental floss, makeup, hand sanitizer, brake fluid, ski wax, fishing lines and countless other products.
Can we get some numbers on those "likely to cause cancer" claims ?
It sounds like when the cops get a new toy that can detect drugs with 10x sensitivity and they then start blabbing that everyone is on drugs now.
Combine that with the science grants system perverse incentives and you've got a recipe for making mountains out of mole hills.
PFOA is considered a known human carcinogen. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanoic_acid
You seem to have no direct experience with science, given how misinformed you sound.
Probably not yet...at least, not good, solid numbers. There's a study out of the University of Michigan that claimed to find that certain PFAS chemicals could double the risk for certain cancers in women with previous cancer diagnoses. Sounds from the abstract that it was just a correlational study (meaning it just shows a relationship between exposure and risk, but doesn't show that PFAS caused the increased risk...if you're interested in why a correlation doesn't establish causation, this site is a fun way to learn more https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations)
There's a lot of different PFAS chemicals and a lot of different cancers, so there's gonna be a lot of work required to nail it all down.
https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/what-we-study/pfas https://sph.umich.edu/news/2023posts/exposure-to-pfas-chemicals-doubles-the-odds-of-a-prior-cancer-diagnosis-in-women.html#:~:text=Exposure to PFAS chemicals doubles,prior cancer diagnosis in women
Recently, 3M settled the lawsuit filed by cities and towns with polluted water. It will pay up to $12.5 billion to cover the costs of filtering out PFAS, depending on how many water systems need the chemicals removed. The settlement, however, doesn’t approach the scale of the problem. At least 45% of U.S. tap water is estimated to contain one or more forever chemicals, and one drinking water expert told me that the cost of removing them all would likely reach $100 billion.
$100 billion? Seems low. That's only five renovations to JFK.
100 billion wouldn't even cover the firefighting foam pfas cleanup at jfk
An amazing article. You really should take the time to read it.
Propublica does good work on the whole.
Thanks for the push, well worth it. Solid investigative journalism. The Jim Johnson section did make my blood pressure rise, let's be honest though: it's probably just my PFAS.
No, I’m with you, that was very much Situation Normal All excuse-me??
Thanks, I was about to skip it. Brilliant article, and thank you to that woman for helping bring this to everyone's attention. It's unbelievable what some people are willing to do to make money. Fuck them, and anyone else that facilitates it by hiding secrets like this.
I was really um . . . let’s say amazed . . by the CEO’s reaction to her presentation. Very . . . yeah.
All secrecy is stealing, all corporations are criminal
Hang all responsible, only way to hold the absolute scum accountable!
If corporations are people, then corps that do shit like this need to be executed.
Dark Waters is a good movie about forever chemicals
Wow, it's really depressing to see Willem Dafoe looking so bummed.
I believe you’ll find upon closer inspection that is Gary Busey. Easy mistake.
Now I want a buddy cop long lost brother style movie with the 2 of them...
