The PFAS situation is at an annoying crossroads of 1) we have tests that can detect it at super low levels, so we’re finding it everywhere. 2) We don’t have gre

The PFAS situation is at an annoying crossroads of 1) we have tests that can detect it at super low levels, so we’re finding it everywhere. 2) We don’t have great ways to clean it up, and 3) We don’t really know what concentration of this stuff is actually dangerous. Thus everyone is freaking out but without a clear plan or knowledge of it we should be hiding under the covers or not. On the toxicity, standard table salt is extremely toxic you if you eat enough in one go. So the challenge is not “is it toxic” but rather at what quantities and over what exposure. Thus these studies along the lines of “we fed some lab animals a ton of this stuff and they died” aren’t super useful in figuring out if we have a big problem or not. I’m all for taking a cautious approach here given the unknown unknowns, but like a lot of emerging science the truth is it’s messy and takes time to figure things out. This public and press are not well equipped to navigate and communicate on that reality.