• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, October 31, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

From surfer shorts to surgical drapes

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 17, 2019
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

New framework to reduce harmful chemicals like PFAS added to consumer goods, phase out non-essentials

Human exposure to unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals could be greatly reduced if manufacturers add chemicals only when they are truly essential in terms of health, safety and functioning of society. That’s the conclusion of a study published today in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

In this study, researchers propose a framework based on the concept of “essential use” to determine whether a chemical is really needed in a particular application. They demonstrate the concept on a class of synthetic chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

PFAS are used in many consumer goods because of their unique properties such as water and stain repellency. However, a growing number of scientists and health professionals express concern about these chemicals since they persist for a very long time, seep into our water and soil, and may adversely impact people’s health and wildlife. Human health problems linked to certain PFAS exposure include kidney and testicular cancer, liver malfunction, hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, lower birth weight and size, obesity, and decreased immune response to vaccines.

The study classifies many uses of PFAS as “non-essential”. For example, the study points out that it may be nice to have water-repelling surfer shorts, but in this instance water repellency is not essential. Other products analyzed with the Essential Use Framework include personal care products and cosmetics, durable water repellency and stain resistance in textiles, food contact materials, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, laboratory supplies and ski waxes. Some uses may be regarded as essential in terms of health and safety, e.g., fire-fighting foams, but functional alternatives have been developed that can be substituted instead.

“Our hope is the approach can inform and encourage manufacturers, retailers and end users to consider phasing out and substituting uses of PFASs.” said Ian Cousins of Stockholm University, lead author of the study and a world-leading researcher specializing in understanding the sources and exposure pathways of highly fluorinated chemicals. “A starting point would be the phase-out of the multiple non-essential uses of PFASs, which are driven primarily by market opportunity.”

The article notes that some retailers and manufacturers are already taking voluntary measures to phase out the use of PFAS in their products. It suggests that the Essential Use Framework can be applied to other chemicals of concern.

###

Press contact: Prof. Ian T. Cousins, Dept of Environmental Science and Analystical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University, [email protected], +46 72 148 9232.

Media Contact
Ian T. Cousins
[email protected]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c9em00163h

Tags: Chemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesEcology/EnvironmentEnvironmental HealthPollution/Remediation
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Researchers Discover Novel Energy Potential in Iron-Based Materials

October 31, 2025

UCSB Experimentalists Awarded Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grants to Propel New Insights and Innovations

October 30, 2025

Truly strange and thrilling: Quantum oscillations ripple through this science magazine headline

October 30, 2025

Mapping Proteome-wide Selectivity of Diverse Electrophiles

October 30, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1292 shares
    Share 516 Tweet 323
  • Stinkbug Leg Organ Hosts Symbiotic Fungi That Protect Eggs from Parasitic Wasps

    312 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

    202 shares
    Share 81 Tweet 51
  • New Study Suggests ALS and MS May Stem from Common Environmental Factor

    136 shares
    Share 54 Tweet 34

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Diabetes Fatalism: Impact on Outcomes in African Americans

Haplotype Analysis Links Regulatory Variants to Citrus Traits

Assessing Ergonomics in Special Needs Kindergarten Settings

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 67 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.