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My family and I try to do our part to protect the environment.
We recycle our cans, bottles and newspapers without fail every week. I drive a Chevy Malibu gasoline / battery-operated hybrid that saves fossil fuel every time I back out of the garage. My husband even has taken a great interest in ensuring that our home is surrounded by the types of flowers and plants that are friendly to northeast Ohio's dwindling population of bees and monarch butterflies.
Despite all that, we don't consider ourselves "environmental activists," and we don't generally panic or overreact with knee-jerk responses when we hear about concerns that could affect the world we will leave behind for our children.
Still, it wasn't long after I watched a Netflix documentary earlier this year about alleged health and environmental dangers that come with the manufacture and use of a chemical used in Teflon cookware when I decided it was time to invest in new pots and pans. This time we opted for copper.
According to that documentary and other information I've since read, countless products are manufactured with the use of chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, to create grease-, water- or stain-resistant barriers. The chemical is used not only in the manufacture of cookware, but also in food packaging like grease-resistant paper plates, microwave popcorn bags or cardboard take-out containers, upholstery or carpet treatments and even high-performance weather gear and firefighting foam.
Scientists and health experts are linking the chemicals to serious health conditions because the chemical is persistent and remains in our bodies and in the environment. As such, PFAS are often referred to as "forever chemicals."
The topic is starting to gain more attention in the media and in the government.
ABC News last week reported the potentially harmful chemical has been found in drinking water systems that serve about 7.5 million California residents, according to a report by a nonprofit environmental organization.
Also last week, Bloomberg reported a story on its Environment web page describing a Maine farmer who has lost his livelihood because the well that was providing drinking water to his farm was contaminated with chemicals that were showing up in his cows' milk. He was forced to stop selling the dairy product.
The story reports the chemicals originated in fertilizer spread on the farm property 15 years ago under a state-encouraged program for wastewater sludge.
Now Ohio will look into the issue.
According to an Associated Press story published last week, Gov. Mike DeWine is ordering tests to find out whether these potentially harmful chemicals are in the state's drinking water.
The Republican governor last week said the state's health and environmental protection agencies will be doing an analysis to look at PFAS manmade chemicals because there is evidence the potentially harmful industrial chemicals are turning up in drinking water and some foods nationwide.
"Right now, we just don't know if these chemicals have a widespread presence in Ohio's water supply or not," DeWine told the Dayton Daily News. "This is important for both the protection of our natural resources and for public health."
The governor is part of a group of 15 governors pressing federal legislators to develop a more comprehensive national plan for addressing PFAS contamination in and around military bases.
"It's imperative that this issue not be left solely to the states to address," DeWine said. "While states are being responsive in evaluating PFAS risks, we are also in need of resources, guidance and a commitment from the federal government to effectively address contamination from these persistent substances."
DeWine has ordered state agencies to put a plan in place by December that would test public and private water systems located near known PFAS sources.
We will be watching closely to see what the studies determine and how these issues will be addressed.