SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – As concerns mount over “forever chemicals,” researchers in Australia said they have found a way to turn those chemicals into fluoride, an ingredient used in toothpaste and other applications. However, there have also been concerns raised about fluoride. Here’s what we know.
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also known as “forever chemicals” are widely used for products such as non-stick cookware and water-repellent fabrics. They break down very slowly and have a “persistence in the environment,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with PFAS found in the blood of people and animals worldwide.
“The substances have been linked to serious health issues, including developmental disorders, infertility, and cancer,” said a press release issued this week by the University of Adelaide in Australia. That’s where a research team made a new discovery about these chemicals.
Their study was published last month in the Small journal. It demonstrated that they “developed a sunlight-activated material that can degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, breaking down the pollutant into harmless components, including fluoride.”
Fluoride is the ionic form of the mineral fluorine, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements explained. It is naturally present in many foods, is available as a supplement and is also present in drinking water in some areas, including around 63% of the U.S. as of last year.
Water fluoridation in the U.S. began after researchers began studying a condition that resulted in mottled teeth in different U.S. towns. They discovered the condition was caused by increased levels of naturally occurring fluoride. While it caused mottled teeth in excess, the researchers also realized that it prevented tooth decay and stimulated new bone formation. Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first community in the U.S. to fluoridate its water after researchers determined an amount that would help teeth without causing them to become mottled.
We’ll get back to fluoride. Regarding PFAS – which can even be found in paper straws – the U.S. has made moves in recent years to mitigate harm from the chemicals. Last year, Audacy reported that the EPA announced “the first ever national drinking standard for these chemicals.”
Dr. Cameron Shearer from the University of Adelaide, lead researcher of the new study, noted that PFAs contamination continues to post a global health risk. One of the challenges to reducing PFAs pollution is the fact that it acts differently than many other water contaminants that can be degraded by adding reactive chemicals that bind to carbon in them, he said.
“However, in PFAS molecules, the carbon atoms are protected in such a way that makes this process nearly impossible,” Shearer explained. “Our team has altered conditions and optimized the catalyst to target the PFAS-protective F atoms, which resulted in complete breakdown of the forever chemicals.”
In this breakdown, fluoride formed. Shearer said it can be isolated for use in products such as toothpaste and even as additives to fertilizers.
If you’re wondering why fluoride would be in fertilizers, a 2018 study published in the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry explained that: “phosphate fertilizers are manufactured from phosphate rock bearing high levels of fluoride in the form of fluorapatite.”
At the same time that the Australian researchers are thinking up ways to implement this new cleanup method, some have raised concerns about water fluoridation. This April, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin “announced the agency’s decision to expeditiously review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water,” per an EPA press release.
“Secretary Kennedy has long been at the forefront of this issue. His advocacy was instrumental in our decision to review fluoride exposure risks and we are committed to working alongside him, utilizing sound science as we advance our mission of protecting human health and the environment,” Zeldin said.
After the announcement, the American Dental Association said in a statement that it reaffirmed its “support of community water fluoridation amid reports that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending the practice.”
In Europe, where there is less fluoridation than in the U.S., tooth decay is more common and the World Health Organization issued a report in 2023 that said “inadequate exposure to fluoride in the water supply,” was a contributing factor.
In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would begin action to remove concentrated ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market.
“Unlike toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses, these products are swallowed and ingested by infants and toddlers. They have also never been approved by the FDA,” said a press release from the FDA. “Ingested fluoride has been shown to alter the gut microbiome, which is of magnified concern given the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood. Other studies have suggested an association between fluoride and thyroid disorders, weight gain and possibly decreased IQ.”
In May the EPA also said it was “committed to addressing” PFAS contamination in drinking water and ensuring regulatory compliance with established regulations. Zeldin said the administration of President Donald Trump wants to protect Americans from forever chemical exposure.
According to the Australian researchers, their breakthrough discovery could present new options for water treatment and environmental cleanup going forward.
“We plan to build on this study through our ongoing work improving the stability of the materials before they can be applied to large scale systems, a project that is being led by my University of Adelaide colleague Mahmoud Gharib,” said Shearer.
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