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I recently stopped using Oral-B Glide dental floss because of this study [1] that showed elevated levels of PFASs in blood of users of that type of dental floss

I recently stopped using Oral-B Glide dental floss because of this study [1] that showed elevated levels of PFASs in blood of users of that type of dental floss. [1] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/dental-floss-harmful-chemicals/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/dental-fl...

mathieuh 3y ago
Thanks for the link, going to toss mine too What did you switch to? I have one of those waterpiks but I don't feel like it does a very good job
- monetus 3y ago
  I got this on a discount and it has been great. I use a waterpik too, but honestly I feel like it is best at blasting the oils from your teeth before you brush. https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black
  - theNJR 3y ago
    Why do you think that is any better?
    - oblio 3y ago
      The cynic in me says: because it's not a visible corporate target unlike Oral-B so nobody bothered to test it, but it's likely to have the same problems unless they explicitly say they don't and had an independent party validate the claim and possibly an auditor confirming.
      - ricardobeat 3y ago
        It seems to be made of polyester, charcoal and wax, explicitly no PFAs, so what would be the reason to assume "it's likely to have the same problems" if the problem is the PFOA coating?
        flanbiscuit 3y ago
        I found it annoying that I had to go searching through multiple pages to get the full list of things that this is made of. On the product page[1] I had to scroll all the way to the bottom and expand 2 of the "Got Questions" sections to get info: > Our BURST Floss is beautifully packaged in an eco-friendly sustainable case, the textured filament has expanding technology for a deep clean. Charcoal coated for adsorption and anti-microbial for healthy white teeth, the unique black coloring of the floss exposes plaque lurking in the mouth. > Yes The BURST Floss uses Microcrystalline wax, there are No PFAs. Then I had to search through multiple questions on their FAQ page to finally find this[2]: > Is the BURST Floss biodegradable? > No. The BURST Floss is comprised of Polyester so is not biodegradable. So we have: - Polyester - Microcrystalline wax - Charcoal - an eco-friendly sustainable case I can't tell if the Microcrystalline wax _is_ the Charcoal or is something separate. No explanation on what the case is made of. "Eco-friendly" is vague, I'm guessing this is because it's re-usable, not because it's biodegradable. 1. https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black# https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black# 2. https://burstusa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053208094-Is-the-BURST-Floss-biodegradable- https://burstusa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053208094-... I also want to add that Burst was listed in one of the parent links on flosses that failed the test for PFAS. (if you trust that site) > According to our EPA-certified laboratory, these products contain detections of organic fluorine, which is a chemical marker for PFAS “forever chemicals.” This section represents some products that have levels that are clearly intentionally added, while other brands have levels that are more “unintentionally added” from contamination somewhere. Brands with jaw-dropping amounts of organic fluorine we marked with *. > Burst Refillable Dental Floss Juniper & Berry — 208 parts per million (ppm) organic fluorine https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-tooth-floss.html#Mamavation%E2%80%99s_Investigation_of_Dental_Floss_and_Indications_of_PFAS_%E2%80%9CForever_Chemicals%E2%80%9D https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-to...
        monetus 3y ago
        I really wish mamavation would link the study they are citing... Did I just miss it? They have numbers, but don't give you access outside of the article or elaborate on the responses of the companies. I'm going ask burst about this, because the polyester or wax should have no flourine as far as I can tell. I have a pfas testing center near me - If I test this soon I'll make a show hn or something.
    - monetus 3y ago
      Well, no Teflon-type chemicals are coating it and it has just worked better being a larger floss - Teflon floss will feel easier between teeth that are very, very close together, but this scrubs more, faster than those types. The word they use, expanding, might be a little bit much, but the way the fiber rolls to the right thickness makes things easier comparatively. Nice taste too I guess; I've tried both. The color being black does kind of help too. My dentist told me about them and gave me a discount... so I was definitely lured in, but the floss is good. I haven't found another to replace it with. It boggles the mind that shreddable Teflon seemed like a good idea to anyone.
- scns 3y ago
  Can you buy dental floss without coating?
  - loeg 3y ago
    Easily. It's more effective, too -- friction is good for removing debris.
- enlyth 3y ago
  Personally I use these: https://www.thehumble.co/collections/dental-floss https://www.thehumble.co/collections/dental-floss It says on the packaging, PFAS & BPA free, the string is made from polyethylene. In the UK I buy them off Amazon. I have no association with this company.
  - Solvency 3y ago
    BPA free means nothing. There are many BPA alternatives which are just as harmful. That's the funny thing. These companies love the "BPA free" badge because consumers don't know this.
    - shrimp_emoji 3y ago
      Like tech, chemistry moves faster than law ;D
spidersouris 3y ago
Does this affect non-Glide dental floss produced by Oral-B? I'm using Pro-Expert Premium. I cannot find a clear answer but I guess that's a yes.
neilv 3y ago
In a quick search for an alternative, looks like this non-credible Web site commissioned testing by credible-sounding researchers: https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-tooth-floss.html https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-to... Without time to research further right now, I'm going to try this Reach Mint Waxed floss (unfortunately from J&J, of asbestos baby powder infamy): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013OKRGWW/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013OKRGWW/ Also, I'm not qualified to assess the HSPH work, but if turns out there's evidence that a company did something possibly criminal with PFASs, where should we be expecting a criminal investigation? US AG? States AG?
- azinman2 3y ago
  Why would you want anything waxed or otherwise “gliding” for floss? I don’t get it. The point is for friction to remove the tartar.
  - neilv 3y ago
    Some very small gaps between teeth. No time to research more today; first priority is to stop possibly ingesting PFAS; degrees of floss effectiveness can come later.
mensetmanusman 3y ago
What people don't realize is everything has or is made with pfas on some part of the supply chain. About a third of new medicines are pfas and many popular common ones like Cipro, Prozac, and Flonase.
- cptskippy 3y ago
  Engineers going into the field to sample for PFAS contamination have a massive list of things they're not allowed to bring with them because it will skew results. That list includes types of paper and pens, it's truly mind boggling how pervasive these chemicals are.

mathieuh 3y ago

Thanks for the link, going to toss mine too What did you switch to? I have one of those waterpiks but I don't feel like it does a very good job

monetus 3y ago
I got this on a discount and it has been great. I use a waterpik too, but honestly I feel like it is best at blasting the oils from your teeth before you brush. https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black
- theNJR 3y ago
  Why do you think that is any better?
  - oblio 3y ago
    The cynic in me says: because it's not a visible corporate target unlike Oral-B so nobody bothered to test it, but it's likely to have the same problems unless they explicitly say they don't and had an independent party validate the claim and possibly an auditor confirming.
    - ricardobeat 3y ago
      It seems to be made of polyester, charcoal and wax, explicitly no PFAs, so what would be the reason to assume "it's likely to have the same problems" if the problem is the PFOA coating?
      - flanbiscuit 3y ago
        I found it annoying that I had to go searching through multiple pages to get the full list of things that this is made of. On the product page[1] I had to scroll all the way to the bottom and expand 2 of the "Got Questions" sections to get info: > Our BURST Floss is beautifully packaged in an eco-friendly sustainable case, the textured filament has expanding technology for a deep clean. Charcoal coated for adsorption and anti-microbial for healthy white teeth, the unique black coloring of the floss exposes plaque lurking in the mouth. > Yes The BURST Floss uses Microcrystalline wax, there are No PFAs. Then I had to search through multiple questions on their FAQ page to finally find this[2]: > Is the BURST Floss biodegradable? > No. The BURST Floss is comprised of Polyester so is not biodegradable. So we have: - Polyester - Microcrystalline wax - Charcoal - an eco-friendly sustainable case I can't tell if the Microcrystalline wax _is_ the Charcoal or is something separate. No explanation on what the case is made of. "Eco-friendly" is vague, I'm guessing this is because it's re-usable, not because it's biodegradable. 1. https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black# https://www.burstoralcare.com/product/floss?color=black# 2. https://burstusa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053208094-Is-the-BURST-Floss-biodegradable- https://burstusa.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053208094-... I also want to add that Burst was listed in one of the parent links on flosses that failed the test for PFAS. (if you trust that site) > According to our EPA-certified laboratory, these products contain detections of organic fluorine, which is a chemical marker for PFAS “forever chemicals.” This section represents some products that have levels that are clearly intentionally added, while other brands have levels that are more “unintentionally added” from contamination somewhere. Brands with jaw-dropping amounts of organic fluorine we marked with *. > Burst Refillable Dental Floss Juniper & Berry — 208 parts per million (ppm) organic fluorine https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-tooth-floss.html#Mamavation%E2%80%99s_Investigation_of_Dental_Floss_and_Indications_of_PFAS_%E2%80%9CForever_Chemicals%E2%80%9D https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-to...
        monetus 3y ago
        I really wish mamavation would link the study they are citing... Did I just miss it? They have numbers, but don't give you access outside of the article or elaborate on the responses of the companies. I'm going ask burst about this, because the polyester or wax should have no flourine as far as I can tell. I have a pfas testing center near me - If I test this soon I'll make a show hn or something.
  - monetus 3y ago
    Well, no Teflon-type chemicals are coating it and it has just worked better being a larger floss - Teflon floss will feel easier between teeth that are very, very close together, but this scrubs more, faster than those types. The word they use, expanding, might be a little bit much, but the way the fiber rolls to the right thickness makes things easier comparatively. Nice taste too I guess; I've tried both. The color being black does kind of help too. My dentist told me about them and gave me a discount... so I was definitely lured in, but the floss is good. I haven't found another to replace it with. It boggles the mind that shreddable Teflon seemed like a good idea to anyone.
scns 3y ago
Can you buy dental floss without coating?
- loeg 3y ago
  Easily. It's more effective, too -- friction is good for removing debris.
enlyth 3y ago
Personally I use these: https://www.thehumble.co/collections/dental-floss https://www.thehumble.co/collections/dental-floss It says on the packaging, PFAS & BPA free, the string is made from polyethylene. In the UK I buy them off Amazon. I have no association with this company.
- Solvency 3y ago
  BPA free means nothing. There are many BPA alternatives which are just as harmful. That's the funny thing. These companies love the "BPA free" badge because consumers don't know this.
  - shrimp_emoji 3y ago
    Like tech, chemistry moves faster than law ;D

spidersouris 3y ago

Does this affect non-Glide dental floss produced by Oral-B? I'm using Pro-Expert Premium. I cannot find a clear answer but I guess that's a yes.

neilv 3y ago

In a quick search for an alternative, looks like this non-credible Web site commissioned testing by credible-sounding researchers: https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-tooth-floss.html https://www.mamavation.com/beauty/toxic-pfas-dental-floss-to... Without time to research further right now, I'm going to try this Reach Mint Waxed floss (unfortunately from J&J, of asbestos baby powder infamy): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013OKRGWW/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013OKRGWW/ Also, I'm not qualified to assess the HSPH work, but if turns out there's evidence that a company did something possibly criminal with PFASs, where should we be expecting a criminal investigation? US AG? States AG?

azinman2 3y ago
Why would you want anything waxed or otherwise “gliding” for floss? I don’t get it. The point is for friction to remove the tartar.
- neilv 3y ago
  Some very small gaps between teeth. No time to research more today; first priority is to stop possibly ingesting PFAS; degrees of floss effectiveness can come later.

mensetmanusman 3y ago

What people don't realize is everything has or is made with pfas on some part of the supply chain. About a third of new medicines are pfas and many popular common ones like Cipro, Prozac, and Flonase.

cptskippy 3y ago
Engineers going into the field to sample for PFAS contamination have a massive list of things they're not allowed to bring with them because it will skew results. That list includes types of paper and pens, it's truly mind boggling how pervasive these chemicals are.