[peterb0yd]

After watching Dark Waters and becoming fearful of PFAS, I don't understand how these PFAS aren't completely eliminated from production. Is it because they help reduce spoilage/leakage which allows food to travel further and increase shelf life? Do the lobbyists argue that this reduces food waste?

How is it legal for Sweetgreen, Cava and other restaurants to use PFAS in "compostable" food packaging and make it seem like a "sustainable" alternative to plastic packaging? [1]

It's difficult for me to contain my emotions whenever I read about PFAS being found in yet another common material and certain government bodies trying to deregulate safety inspections [2].

[1] https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/dan...

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/28/trum...

[yojo]

The one that recently shocked me was modeling clay. My elementary school kid loves playing with clay, so I bought him some Fimo, which is proudly marketed as “non-toxic.” On a lark I looked it up anyway. It’s 11-14% phthalates by weight![1]. All the polymer clays are necessarily high in it - they’re made by compositing clay, PVC, and plasticizers. Blew my mind, and we’re giving this stuff to kids!

[1] https://pirg.org/resources/hidden-hazards/

[beAbU]

You can make play dough at home by cooking a flour and water mixture till it thickens up, add lots of salt (to discourage eating) and colouring to taste.

When I was a child my mom would cook me a fresh batch every month or so during my frequent clay phases.

[irrational]

When I was a kid, they still allowed us to play with Mercury with our bare hands in elementary school.

[criticalfault]

It reminds me of the DDT era, but corrupt...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUDVuugQmxE

People were probably ignorant when they were spraying kids with DDT. Today it's ignorance mixed with greed.

[roldie]

I'm also feeling quite worried about it. Per your first link, I didn't realize that the compostable alternatives I try to seek out could be just as bad or worse. The article corroborates unfortunately:

>Most of the chemicals leaching from food packaging come from plastics, but not all of them. “Probably the worst one is recycled paper and cardboard,” Muncke said. “And I know that’s a hard one to stomach.” Recycling paper, cardboard or plastic for food packaging leads to nonfood grade inks mixed in next to food, she explained, adding to the chemical risks.