What to Know About PFAS in Period Underwear
Thinx just settled a lawsuit alleging its products contain harmful chemical compounds, raising further questions about the safety of period products overall.
By Alisha Haridasani Gupta
PFAS are often called “forever chemicals” because they are practically indestructible. Since the late 1930s, these chemicals have been used in almost every kind of consumer product, including cooking pans, shampoo, cleaning products and cosmetics, to make products resistant to water, oil or heat. They can also be used to make clothing water-resistant — which, the lawsuit claims, is how Thinx underwear manages to absorb period blood and still feel dry.
PFAS may contaminate anything they touch (including food wrapped in packaging containing PFAS) and they do not degrade naturally, nor can our bodies metabolize them, Dr. Mahalingaiah said. Instead, they accumulate in our bodies and in the environment, polluting soil, air and water.
www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/well/pfas-thinx-period-underwear.html?searchResultPosition=1
www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/fashion/pfas-think-20230131-teb6udsy5ne6nlrdbzmhoenen4-story.html