Feb. 6, 2025 – Forever chemicals, PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), endocrine disruptors, microplastics: These modern-day pollutants and man-made chemicals designed for durability are seemingly everywhere. They’re in food, water, everyday products (think: plastic or clothes), indoor and outdoor air, and – as their adverse health effects become more and more evident – they’re all over the news.
Shown to take hold in human bodies – forever chemicals have been found everywhere from the blood to the brain – research has linked these toxins with cancer, other diseases, and immune suppression. And as concern about their health impact grows, so, too does fear, anxiety, and worry around them. Research on toxin exposure and mental health – let alone fear of toxin exposure and mental health – is in its infancy. Yet Gail Carlson, PhD, director of Colby College's Buck Lab for Climate and Environment, said that both exposure to and fear of exposure to these chemicals can negatively impact mental health and add to anxiety and depression.
“Some chemicals cause neurological changes in the brain that are consistent with underlying pathways of anxiety and depression,” she said.
Anticipating dangerous exposures could activate biological stress responses, such as secretion of the stress hormone cortisol and an uptick in inflammation, said Erika Manczak, PhD, director of the University of Denver’s Biology, Environments, and Mood Studies Lab. Her current research aims to tease apart the mental health impacts of exposure from the effects of “exposure threat.”
Do you feel inundated with bad news about bad chemicals and you're not sure what to do? Read on for tips from psychologists, epidemiologists, and researchers who know about environmental and mental health that will empower you to make changes and feel a little calmer, too.
Know Which Worries Matter Most
Not knowing what you’re up against can be a huge stressor by itself, said environmental health and psychology scientist Aaron Reuben, PhD.
“Learning more about your specific home or community can lead to specific places where you can take action,” he said.
Discovering that lead paint is common in homes like yours (and covering up soil that may have lead) or finding out your area is working to improve drinking water (and advocating for improvements to the water quality infrastructure) can help you move from anxious to empowered.
Sometimes, paying closer attention to local news keeps you up to speed on issues and initiatives, too. Manczak said there have been efforts to reduce lead levels in water by replacing pipes in Denver.
“In the interim, the city provides water filters to everyone affected, but I’m shocked by how many families don’t use them,” she said.
Shift Your Thinking from Individual to Collective
It’s easy to feel like having a house full of plastic or products full of PFAS is your fault, which can add to feeling down or guilty – but it’s not your fault that these chemicals exist in the environment at such high levels.
“People buy products with the idea that the government has already regulated or evaluated the chemicals in them for safety – and that's just not the case,” said Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, director of the University of California-San Francisco’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment. (A review of industry documents she co-authored found that some companies knew PFAS was toxic by 1970, long before the public health community knew.)
For most products, no federal laws require manufacturers to warn consumers of PFAS, though some states have enacted recent legislation. Merely recognizing that this is a more significant societal issue – not an individual one – with more extensive societal solutions helps take the onus off individuals and can bring people together in community action.
Be an Active Member of Your Community
“I advocate for communal action over individual action. This means being active in your community,” said Reuben, who noted that this could look like attending public meetings or supporting political candidates who put forth policies and regulations to improve public health and protect air, water, and consumer products. “You are never going to shop your way to a safer environment; it has to emerge from collective action.”
Governmental advocacy – writing to elected officials, for example – is particularly important since comprehensively addressing forever chemicals will require that the government steps up to limit PFAS in the environment, define more "acceptable" exposures, and even issue advisories for certain foods since PFAS is present in much of the food supply, said Carlson. She regularly testifies on bills regarding PFAS regulations, writes guest opinion columns and letters to the editors of her local newspapers, and encourages people to advocate that their communities cut back on plastic use, avoid pesticides, and not stain-treat carpets with PFAS-containing products.
“I raised alarm with the local cross-country ski club and ski area about the dangers of PFAS-containing ski waxes,” she said.
Get Your Information From Good Sources
Ensuring that your information comes from trusted sources (for example, not every Reel you see on Instagram) can help you feel focused and empowered instead of helpless or scared.
“Try to get information from original sources – research studies in peer-reviewed journals – or from organizations or departments whose entire missions are public health – like CDC, the World Health Organization, or public health departments in the U.S.,” suggested Manczak. “These sources are going to be much less likely to try to deliberately heighten emotions and introduce bias as a way to get attention, which is also better for mental health.”
A few to consider:
- Environmental Working Group (EWG), which alerts people to toxic chemical threats and compiles data on drinking water PFAS levels
- Mamavation, which summarizes PFAS testing of specific products
- The EPA’s Safer Choice program, which provides some labeling on cleaning products
- Safer States, an alliance of health groups from across the U.S. that teaches about state PFAS regulations
If You Can, Make Small Changes at Home
Remember: To reduce stress around and exposure to forever chemicals, policymakers, industries, and communities must share the responsibility. That said, if you’re able to make small changes, doing so can decrease worry and exposure. Experts suggest the below changes if possible:
- Rethink your plastic use. Don’t heat it in the microwave – doing so can cause leaching into food stored in it, exposing you to more forever chemicals. And instead of plastic storage containers or utensils, use glass or other safer materials when possible. “I have a set of bamboo utensils I keep in my backpack for travel,” said Woodruff. Many experts also use stainless steel refillable water bottles (Pura is a plastic-free company with many options).
- Buy fragrance-free. EWG’s website can help narrow down safer options in all sorts of household items, from shampoo to lotions.
- Simplify cleaning solutions. Woodruff uses simple baking soda and vinegar to clean. Blueland is a plastic-free company reinventing and simplifying cleaning products.
- Swap out “nonstick” cookware. Items coated in Teflon are a particular concern for PFAS, said Carlson, who has swapped out her nonstick cookware for stainless steel. Companies such as All-Clad and Caraway sell stainless-steel cookware.
- Do your research on rugs and outerwear products. One study of water- or stain-resistant brand-name products found that 72% had PFAS. Some companies – Patagonia, Jack Wolfskin, Fjallraven, and others – are working to eliminate PFAS in waterproof coatings. “Consumers should avoid treatments like Stainmaster when their carpets are installed or cleaned,” she said. Mamavation publishes product testing results around PFAS in consumer products.
- Consider eating organic and lower on the food chain. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA test the food supply for PFAS, Carlson said they do so on a “limited basis” and that “results are often not publicly available or easily accessible to the public.” She notes that seafood, in general, can be high in forever toxins – “not surprising given how widespread PFAS contamination is in our oceans and freshwaters.” Woodruff noted that “a lot of chemicals love to hang out in fat products, and tend to be persistent, bioaccumulating and migrating up the food chain,” which is why she eats lower on the food chain when she can, forgoing many types of meat. “If we eat fish, we usually get locally caught smaller fish.”
- Be aware of children’s exposures. PFAS can build up in the body over time, explains Carlson. And Manczak offers something that's helped: “For my daughter’s toys, I try to primarily do wood and fabric toys, with extra points to companies that use sustainable production methods – regenerative foresting recycled textiles. She still has some plastic toys, but it’s a smaller proportion.”
- Plan activities in concert with air quality levels. Given that PFAS has been found in indoor and outdoor air pollution, this will help you avoid unnecessarily exposing yourself to pollution and worry. “I always check the air quality index before hiking or plan to spend a lot of time outside,” said Manczak.
Get Tested
Still stressed? Ask your health care provider for a “body burden” test (usually a blood test); Quest Diagnostics has a PFAS test panel. Many health insurance companies cover the cost of testing (and states like Maine are trying to legislate that they are required to). “Body burden” results are often divided into percentiles and measured against levels from the CDC’s thousands of samples. The higher the percentiles, the higher the concern, though results vary depending on the chemical, Carlson said.