How can humanity say goodbye to the seemingly intractable fluoride? A study analyzing breast milk from 110 mothers in Shanghai found samples contaminated with two fluoride compounds at alarm levels. According to current US health advisory standards, such high levels in drinking water would classify it as unsafe. Even so, experts still recommend breastfeeding, as the benefits outweigh the risks. For over 50 years, the West produced these two compounds for its own use and globally. After their toxicity became known, companies voluntarily ceased production, and these compounds gradually disappeared from consumer products. However, their production has shifted from the West to countries lacking environmental protection. In these countries, fluoride plants continue to release these substances into rivers, land, and oceans. Today, China not only continues to produce these substances but is also considered the world's largest emitter of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and the sole producer of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOA and PFOS are the most well-known members of the perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS) family. These high-fluorine compounds have a wide range of uses because their carbon-fluorine bonds hardly break under natural conditions. When these bonds are linked together, they can form a waterproof and oil-resistant coating on clothing, carpets, and kitchenware, which will not decompose or fade even when exposed to water, extreme temperatures, or prolonged exposure to sunlight. This property can also be used to produce robust fire-resistant products that can withstand and even extinguish high-temperature flames on aircraft. However, this exceptional durability, while making these compounds widely applicable, also makes them extremely dangerous. They can persist in the environment for thousands of years, having long-term effects on us and future generations. Scientific studies in heavily polluted communities in the United States have shown that PFOA and PFOS pollution is linked to many health problems, including testicular cancer, kidney cancer, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and preeclampsia. The trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS we ingest from drinking water and food accumulate in our bodies day after day, year after year, stubbornly residing in blood proteins and vital organs. Even small amounts of daily exposure can have profound health effects. Researchers have now found high levels of fluoride compounds in the blood of 98% of Americans. While similar studies haven't been conducted in China, a small-scale study in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, where a fluoride plant is located, showed that PFOA concentrations in the blood of local residents are already comparable to those in the United States. Given the toxicity and bioaccumulation of PFOA and PFOS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends a maximum of 70 ppt for drinking water, equivalent to four small drops in an Olympic swimming pool. In 2016, more than 6 million Americans had drinking water that did not meet this standard. Their water sources were widely contaminated by emissions from fluoride plants and waste treatment facilities, as well as the use of fluorinated refractory products. Fluoride pollution remediation in the United States is very costly. For example, the U.S. Air Force spent $137 million investigating fluorinated refractory contamination at military bases, and comprehensive remediation of these sites would cost far more. A chemical plant's pollution of the Ohio River Valley triggered more than 3,500 lawsuits with total payouts of $670 million. Affected communities have purchased activated carbon filtration systems to ensure drinking water safety, a temporary solution that has cost them millions of dollars. After decades of production, the largest U.S. producer agreed in 2000 to gradually phase out PFOS production. Shortly thereafter, other major fluoride producers joined the PFOA reduction plan, agreeing to reduce PFOA plant emissions and product content by 95% by 2010 and completely cease production by 2015. From 1999 to 2014, the concentration of PFOS in Americans' blood decreased by 84%, a feat largely attributable to these actions. China's efforts to reduce the use of these two fluorides are just beginning. In 2017, the World Bank approved a $24 million grant to support China's PFOS reduction efforts. In the Madrid Declaration, 252 scientists from 44 countries called for a reduction in PFA use and the development of safe, fluoride-free alternatives. They also proposed an essential three-pronged approach: first, implementing safety safeguards to reduce fluoride emissions from plants; second, reducing fluoride use when appropriate; and third, developing safer, fluoride-free alternatives. Source: Chinadialogue (2017-08-21) (Compiled by PIDC)
