You have been hearing the word PFAS around and wondering what it has to do with period underwear. Well, don’t stress POM is here to provide you with some information and peace of mind to help you make informed decisions about looking after your body.
What are PFAS?
PFAS stands for “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances” which are a combination of over 4700 man-made synthetic chemicals. These chemicals have been used in consumer products since about the 1950s. They have unfortunately earned the name ‘forever chemicals’ because they can “take over 1,000 years to degrade” therefore, building up in the environment and our bodies.
What does PFAS do to your body?
PFAS build up in the body over time and “have been implicated in a number of serious health effects, including some cancers, high blood pressure, disruption of the endocrine system and developmental problems in children.”
To understand how PFAS get into our body we first need to be aware of what products use them and then how they enter the environment before entering our system.
Where are PFAS found?
They are commonly used in everyday products such as “food packaging, toiletries and non-stick cookware to clothing and carpets.” The PFAS are being released at every stage of the product's lifecycle and are making their way into the environment and our bodies. An example is the PFAS found in food packaging that transfers into the food we then eat. Even after we dispose of the products that contain PFAS they then leak out into the landfills and even contaminate our recycling. “They are lost into wastewater and discharged into streams. PFAS can’t be removed by standard water treatment works, so they flow out with treated water and get spread on our fields”. Therefore, affecting the food that is grown in that soil and the water that we drink.
How damaging are PFAS to the environment?
Once they enter the environment “PFAS can move, spread and cause damage for thousands of years.” However, the damage they are causing cannot be seen like plastic pollution can be, it is microscopic hidden in the bodies of our sea life. They cause kidney, liver and immune system issues for animals like bottlenose dolphins and sea otters. This also means that there is a build-up of PFAS in the fish that we then catch and eat and therefore more PFAS enter our system.
So how can we limit the PFAS going into our bodies?
Well as you can tell it is very hard to control what is already in the environment, however, we can have control over what new products we choose to buy and bring into the environment and what is exposed to us.
Are there PFAS in period underwear?
There can be PFAS in some period underwear lining however, POM period underwear is PFAS FREE! Not all period underwear is the same. It is very important to us that POM provides the most sustainable and safe product to our customers hence why all our period underwear is made from OEKO-TEX certified organic cotton or organic bamboo. They have also been lab tested by SGS (“the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company”) for PFAS and there were none discovered.