A prominent endocrinologist discusses the health and environmental impact of perfluorinated compounds (PFAS, PFOS), chemical compounds used in many products -from popcorn bags to fire-fighting foam to upholstery materials. These compounds are now found globally -- in people, animals, and environment. They affect, among other things, the brain, kidneys and the immune system, and are associated with a number of diseases. The producers of PFOAs were aware of the toxicity of these chemicals even in the late 1970s, but only recently have scientists been able to obtain that data. Because PFAS remain in the body over the lifespan, the withholding of data for decades has undermined medical research.
Philippe Grandjean MD, DMSc, is a professor of environmental health at the University of Southern Denmark. He is currently also a research professor at the College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island and Principal Investigator of STEEP (Sources, Transport, Exposure & Effects of PFAS) there. For twenty years he served as an adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard T.H. Chan of Public Health, where he received one of many awards for his contributions to the field of environmental health. Dr. Grandjean was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the open-access journal Environmental Health that has become a major medium for publishing research in this field. He is also the author of Only One Chance –How to Protect the Brains of the Next Generation (2013). He is a Consultant to the Danish Health and Medicines Authority. Most of his scientific journal publications relate to adverse effects in children exposed to chemical pollutants.