Episode 37
Forever Chemicals: Hidden Dangers in Everyday Beauty
They’re not just in your nail polish. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are everywhere—in our homes, clothing, the personal care products we use, and in our bodies. Postdoctoral researcher Amber Hall explains the dangers PFAS pose, especially to developing humans, and helps us learn how to avoid them. The burden of protecting our children’s health from toxic chemicals, she argues in the latest episode of Humans in Public Health, shouldn’t be borne by individuals. Regulation, Hall says, is needed to push through product-level change and protect the public’s health.
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Transcript
In the past few years, the field of public health has become more visible than ever before, but it's always played a crucial role in our daily lives. Each month, we talk to someone who makes this work possible. Today, Amber Hall.
[:She says she's wondered about the effects of chemicals since she was a kid, living in Tennessee.
* soundscape of crickets, car noise and sound of a factory *
[:* soundscape fades out *
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:[00:6:16] Amber Hall: Yeah, so that could mean that the baby is being exposed to PFAS during this very vulnerable period of time which could have biological and health implications.
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:* music enters *
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:[00:10:18] Megan Hall: Okay, so I can keep wearing my gel and not be too nervous.
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:* music exits *
[: [:One good thing about state regulations is it often pushes for product level change. For example, when California enacts certain bans against certain chemicals, if a company wants to keep selling to California and they don't want to make special products for that state, it forces them to change their practices so that they can sell to the United States as a whole, which It's a pretty cool thing to me because it shows how even something at the state level can really drive a national change.
[: [: [: [: [:Humans in Public Health is a monthly podcast brought to you by Brown University School of Public Health. This episode was produced by Nat Hardy and recorded at the podcast studio at CIC Providence.
I'm Megan Hall. Talk to you next month!
