The idea of any kind of chemical making its way into your meal is freaky, but the Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that a particularly persistent class of chemicals has infiltrated our food supply. They맥스카지노�re called PFAS (short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and they맥스카지노�re known as 맥스카지노�forever chemicals맥스카지노� because they맥스카지노�re tough to break down in both the environment and your body.The FDA recently investigated PFAS and presented the findings at the 29th annual European meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Helsinki in late May. The Environmental Working Group shared photos of the FDA맥스카지노�s presentation online and the agency later confirmed that they were correct. For its research, the FDA tested a dairy farm near a U.S. Air Force base where firefighting foams containing PFAS have been used. The agency found that local water samples tested for PFAS levels at 35 times greater than the current Environmental Protection Agency health advisory of 70 parts per trillion. The researchers tested 13 samples from the farm, including animal feed and milk samples and found that all had detectable levels of PFAS. While the milk was discarded, the FDA pointed out that the cows would still have PFAS in their bodies for 1.5 years after eating and drinking contaminated food and water for 30 days. The FDA also tested produce samples from farms close to a PFAS manufacturing plant and found that, of 20 samples tested, 15 had detectable levels of PFAS. What맥스카지노�s more, common items like grocery store meat and seafood 맥스카지노� and even off-the-shelf chocolate cake 맥스카지노� also contained worrisome levels of PSAS, the Associated Press reports.The FDA is actually planning to present the findings on their website soon, but they gave CNN advance copy of the text. 맥스카지노�Due to potential health concerns related to these chemicals, the FDA is working to better understand the potential dietary exposure to PFAS맥스카지노� it will read, per CNN.PFAS sound pretty bad, but it맥스카지노�s understandable that you might not be 100 percent well-versed in them and what they do. Here맥스카지노�s what you need to know about these 맥스카지노�forever chemicals맥스카지노� and how they affect your body.What are PFAS, exactly?PFAS are largely used for their ability to repel oil and water. They맥스카지노�re often found in nonstick products, stains, paints, cleaning products, food packages and firefighting foams. PFAS 맥스카지노�contain very strong chemical bonds and are very resistant to breakdown in people and in the environment,맥스카지노� says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. Unfortunately, PFAS 맥스카지노�can easily get into the air, food, soil and water,맥스카지노� Alan says.Why are PFAS potentially dangerous?Once you맥스카지노�re exposed to PFAS, they can accumulate in your body. 맥스카지노�They aren맥스카지노�t easily broken down,맥스카지노� Alan says. 맥스카지노�Once in the body, they settle in the liver, kidney and blood.맥스카지노�PFAS have been linked to a slew of diseases like obesity, hormone suppression and infertility, liver and thyroid disease and cancer, as well as increased cholesterol, Alan says. However, research that has linked PFAS with these health issues is only correlative, meaning experts can맥스카지노�t prove that PFAS actually caused these diseases 맥스카지노� just that people with these diseases are also more likely to have had PFAS exposure. 맥스카지노�We are just beginning to understand the ramifications of these compounds,맥스카지노� Alan says. How can you avoid PFAS?It맥스카지노�s actually pretty difficult to avoid PFAS. One study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that PFAS chemicals are detected in the blood of 98 percent of the American population. 맥스카지노�These chemicals are everywhere,맥스카지노� Alan says. However, there are some steps you can take to at least lower your exposure. Contaminated drinking water is a big source of PFAS exposure, so Alan recommends using a water filter when you can. 맥스카지노�Other places you can find these chemicals include fast food containers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes and candy wrappers,맥스카지노� she says. 맥스카지노�Avoiding these products would be another way to avoid the chemicals.맥스카지노� Alan also recommends carefully inspecting labels on things like cookware, cleaning products and personal care items. Finally, she recommends taking a pass on nonstick pans and opting for things like cast iron pans instead. Again, it맥스카지노�s hard to say for sure what kind of impact PFAS can have on your body 맥스카지노� but it doesn맥스카지노�t look positive.