What is PFOA?

By: SEA Club Members

What is PFOA?

Perfluorooctanoic acid: a stable synthetic chemical. Stable sounds good, right? Wrong! Stable means it takes a long time to break down. That is to say, it will stick around in nature longer than you or me & has the ability to spread over large distances through bodies of water.

What does it do to the environment?

As an acid, it can change the pH of the soil, making the ground unhabitable for some plants. This takes away their natural habitat, and takes away food from the animals who consume these plants. Also, it can alter the environment of water bodies, reducing aquatic biodiversity.

What does it do to people, though?

PFOA may be a carcinogen linked to kidney and testicular cancer. Also, there may be ties to high level within the human body and organ damage, including to the liver. Finally, pregnant women should be especially concerned as PFOA may cause birth defects. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, well how about them apples? Don’t you want to know what is in your water?