Rainwater around the world is contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals, research shows
STOCKHOLM: Man-made ‘forever chemicals’ have been found in rainwater that falls everywhere on the planet, which can cause deadly diseases like cancer and other diseases, a new study has found.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds are used in many of our daily needs, including fire-fighting foam, non-stick coatings on frying pans, and textiles.
These compounds are believed to enter the environment in the form of industrial emissions, such as packaging, contaminated water and vapors.
Researchers from Sweden’s Stockholm University and Switzerland’s ETH Zurich conducted laboratory and field studies on the occurrence and occurrence of these compounds over the past year.
The researchers claimed that these compounds can be found in rainwater and snow in remote areas of the Earth such as Antarctica and Tibet.
These fluorinated chemicals are associated with a number of human health problems. These problems include cancer, immune system problems, obesity and infertility problems.
These compounds are called ‘forever chemicals’ because of their long-term presence in the environment. Some of these chemicals take more than a thousand years to break down.
A chemical company called 3M started manufacturing these two chemicals in the 1950s. These chemicals were proven to be the cause of a number of health problems over several decades, and by 2002 3M had largely phased them out.
