Forever Chemicals: A Hidden Threat to Our Children

PFAS, or "forever chemicals, " are a serious problem for pregnant women and their unborn babies. These chemicals can cause low birth weight, premature births, and even infant deaths. They stick around in our bodies and the environment forever. You can find them in drinking water, fish, soil, and everyday household items. The scary part? Half of these chemicals aren't even monitored by the EPA. The EPA hasn't set strict limits on PFAS in water. This means over 40, 000 industrial sites can keep polluting without consequences. Big companies like DuPont and 3M knew about the dangers of PFAS since the 1960s but hid the truth to protect their profits. Now, taxpayers are left to clean up the mess while communities suffer. A recent study in New Hampshire showed that mothers who drank water contaminated with PFAS had a much higher risk of having low birth weight babies, premature births, and infant deaths. PFAS messes with our hormones, weakens our immune system, and can cause cancer. Yet, the EPA isn't doing enough to protect us.PFAS is everywhere. It's in the soil, even far from known polluters. Eating just one freshwater fish a year can expose you to as much PFAS as drinking contaminated water for a month. Freshwater fish have 280 times more PFAS than store-bought seafood. But regulators aren't warning the public about this. The PFAS crisis is a result of corporate negligence and weak regulations. The EPA is failing to protect us from these toxins. We need to demand stricter regulations, ban PFAS, and hold polluters accountable. Until then, we can take steps to protect ourselves. Test your water, use filtration systems, and avoid products with PFAS. The cost of PFAS exposure is huge. It's costing society billions in medical expenses and lost productivity. But instead of taking action, the EPA is letting industry lobbyists delay reforms. It's time to demand accountability from our lawmakers and regulators.