The Number of Products Containing PFAS Is Troublingly Long — Here's a Comprehensive List

The terrifying abundance of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — better known as PFAS — means they are largely unavoidable in our everyday lives. PFAS have been nicknamed "forever chemicals" due to the extreme difficulty of breaking them down safely and their ability to biodegrade naturally.

To this point, our exposure to PFAS has been inescapable, though lawmakers are making progress.

Progress, of course, is gradual. Companies seeking to produce goods as cheaply as possible still get exposed on a seemingly weekly basis for products testing positive for containing PFAS despite their marketing claims. It isn't just low-end products from suspect retailers, either: your favorite influencer or celebrity has probably taken a photo wearing a luxury product containing PFAS.

All that said, let's review products containing PFAS so you can best protect your health.

If you find a pair of period-proof polyester activewear that is certain to be free of contaminants, consider yourself lucky. In fact, the activewear industry is an enormous culprit in massively producing luxury wear that contains PFAS:

• Lululemon leggings have tested positive for PFAS
• Athleta, Gaiam, Old Navy, and Vuori activewear have also returned positive PFAS tests from EPA-certified labs
• Other activewear products containing synthetic materials like polyester may also contain PFAS

It may be safer, though, to exercise in organic cotton apparel, per National Geographic. However, an extensive number of PFAS-containing items still exist in our everyday lives, including:

• Cookware, such as the HexClad brand — though not all brands
• Drinking water
• Dog food containers
• Kale and Kerrygold brand butter
• Parchment paper
• Prime Hydration drinks
• Simply Orange juice
• Some brands of baby wipes
• Sparkling water and tap water

Unfortunately, some of the items that come in closest contact with our bodies, and especially our intimate areas, contain PFAS. The largest culprits include:

• Band-Aids and other bandage brands
• Condoms and lubricant
• Dental floss — though not all brands
• Makeup and similar beauty products
• Toilet paper

If those personal products containing PFAS aren't scary enough, the detection of PFAS in the following environments should be downright terrifying:

• 120,000 sites across the U.S. as of 2021, many of which are in the state of Colorado
• Air and carpets in Kindergarten classes throughout the U.S.
• Rainwater throughout the world
• Waterways throughout the U.S.

As a result of the ubiquity of PFAS in our environment, the products we use and wear, and the health and beauty products we so frequently use on our bodies, PFAS have been detected in a staggering 100 percent of breast milk samples.

The Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. has appeared just as alarmed as we are in recent years, seeking to revise the standard for what is deemed a "healthy" level of PFAS in drinking water, as well as food containers and other items.