Babies exposed to PFAS weigh less at birth, earn less as adults, study finds

By Christopher Ingraham | Minnesota Reformer | April 15, 2024

Read the full article by Christopher Ingraham (Minnesota Reformer)

"People born in the 1970s and 1980s near military bases with high levels of groundwater PFAS contamination had lower birth weights, were less likely to graduate college, and today earn less money than similar individuals who were not exposed to high levels of PFAS, according to a new working paper by economists at Iowa State University and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The paper was released on the same day the Environmental Protection Agency finalized stringent new regulations on “forever chemicals.” The study, which according to its authors “provides the first causal, national-scale estimates of exposure to a source of PFAS contamination on health at birth and adult earnings,” underscores why federal authorities are cracking down on the chemicals — and suggests cleaning up environmental PFAS will yield considerable public health and economic benefits.

Maplewood-based 3M invented and manufactured many of the chemicals, which are used in coatings and thousands of products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water, such as Scotchgard stain repellent, Teflon cookware, fast food wrapping and fire retardants."