The forever chemicals that end up in our bodies - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

Do you know there could be chemicals in your clothes, food packaging and even your make-up that can take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down? They’re called PFAS – or “forever chemicals” – and they are everywhere. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM They’ve been found on the top of Mount Everest and in our drinking water, at harmful levels in some areas. They’re inside our bodies too, in our brains and blood. BBC climate and science reporter Esme Stallard explains what these chemicals are and how they get into our bodies. Stephanie Metzger from the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK tells us the effect they can have on our health. And podcast host Robin Laird tells us what she does to try to avoid PFAS. France has just brought in a ban on cosmetics and clothing that contain these chemicals – they can’t be produced, imported or sold there now. We hear about the steps some countries are taking to try to limit their use. Gittemarie Johansen, a Danish environmental and sustainability advocate, gives us her view on what governments and manufacturers should do. 00:00 Introduction 01:07 What are ‘forever chemicals’? 01:51 Products that contain PFAS 02:47 PFAS in makeup 03:34 How long do they last? 03:57 How do PFAS get into our bodies? 05:18 Health impacts 06:58 Can we remove PFAS from our bodies? 08:39 Practical tips – how people try to avoid PFAS 09:20 Why manufacturers still use PFAS 10:39 What governments are doing 11:52 Bans, transparency, and legislation 12:32 Can we avoid PFAS completely? Watch more episodes from What in the World here 👉🏽    • What in the World   Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #pfas #foreverchemicals #nontoxic