In this evidence‑focused YouTube explainer, Victoria S. Dorsano walks viewers through the pervasive problem of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals.” She begins with a personal anecdote about Kerrygold butter being pulled from shelves in New York and California because its grease‑proof packaging contained PFAS, using the story to illustrate how state bans on PFAS‑containing food‑contact packaging are already in effect. Dorsano then defines PFAS, explains their unique fluorinated carbon chain that makes them extremely resistant to degradation, and notes that more than 3,000 related compounds have been released into the environment since the 1940s. The video details the myriad ways PFAS are used—non‑stick cookware, waterproof clothing, cosmetics, firefighting foam, and countless consumer products—leading to their detection in 99 % of Americans, newborns, and wildlife such as polar bears, dolphins, and sea otters. She reviews the strongest health evidence linking PFAS (especially PFOA and PFOS) to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, reduced fertility, thyroid disorders, and immune suppression that can blunt vaccine responses. Dorsano acknowledges that toxicity is dose‑dependent but argues that PFAS merit particular attention because they bioaccumulate and do not break down in the body. The video outlines corporate responses (phase‑outs by Burger King, Chipotle, Target, Office Depot, etc.) and recent regulatory actions in NY and CA, while emphasizing that personal mitigation is still necessary. Practical recommendations include avoiding PFAS‑treated textiles and carpets, steering clear of grease‑proof food packaging, choosing PFAS‑free personal care products, using cast‑iron, glass, or ceramic cookware instead of Teflon, limiting waterproof gear, supporting PFAS‑free companies, and installing water‑filtration systems (e.g., Berkey or reverse osmosis) that remove PFAS. Dorsano prioritizes ingestion pathways—food and water—as the first focus for exposure reduction, then suggests expanding to textiles and other sources. She situates PFAS among six major toxin classes (including BPA and phthalates) and invites future videos on the others. The tone is conversational yet evidence‑based, with a measured, slightly cautious optimism about regulatory progress and personal agency.
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Did you know that 99% of Americans have a certain harmful chemical detected in their bloodstream? And this is even in newborns. But wait, there's more. These insidious chemicals contaminate nearly every corner of the globe, including in remote regions such as the Arctic. And they've even been found in the blood of people and wildlife worldwide, even in polar bears. Like polar bears who don't really interact with that many other people, for one, and animals. So All over here. Seriously. So before I dive into this mystery chemical substance, quick story time for you. So I am a huge fan of butter. Yes, butter. Like the stuff that you spread on toast and it tastes amazing. And I probably eat way more than the average person does. Um, and I got turned onto a particular brand of butter called Kerrygold, um, maybe about 8 years ago. And I've been using it pretty much every day since. Uh, but if you live in New York or California, you may have noticed that Kerrygold hasn't been stock lately, and a lot of people are upset about it because Kerrygold is a really delicious, you know, brand of butter. It's like Irish grass-fed butter. It's so good. And a lot of bakers and chefs use that butter in their cooking. So people are mad about it. So why isn't it in stock lately in New York and California? Well, it's being pulled off the shelves of those grocery stores in those states due to a recall for a breach against state law policies. And you might be asking like, why state law policies and butter? Like, where is this leading to? We talked about chemicals. Like, where are we going with this story, Victoria S. Dorsano? Okay, I promise I'm getting there. So you see, New York and California both recently passed laws stating that they are banning the use of something called PFAS in food packaging materials that are designed for direct food contact. And as it turns out, that grease-resistant packaging on Kerrygold butter that makes it unwrap so easily and we can enjoy more of it 'cause it's not stuck to the packaging was in fact intentionally made with PFAS in it and therefore was taken off of any of those shelves in New York and California stores until the packaging was changed by Kerrygold. But what are PFAS anyways? And why is this such a big deal? There's chemicals everywhere, right? So PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and they are a class of highly, highly persistent industrial chemicals that were first manufactured in like the late 1940s. Before that point, there were no PFAS in the environment whatsoever. But like I said before, now they contaminate every corner of the globe. And yes, they are even in our dear polar bears. Examples of chemicals in this class include perfluoroctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluoroctane sulfonate, PFOS, along with more than 3,000 other related compounds. So why are these categories of compounds like everywhere? Why is it reaching everything worldwide and contaminating everything worldwide, including newborn babies and polar bears? Well, these chemicals are used in over 1,600 industrial processes. They make Teflon pans nonstick, they make clothing waterproof, they make packaging waterproof and grease resistant, they make makeup waterproof. Yes, it's even in my mascara. PFAS are used in carpet cleaners and clothing, cookware, cosmetics, food packaging, furnishings, outdoor apparel, paints, papers, protective coatings, sealants, and firefighting foams, and probably way more than what I just listed, but that is just a few of the categories. They are quite literally everywhere, and you may have heard them being referenced as something called forever chemicals, and that's because the chemical structure of PFAS is one thing that really differentiates them from other chemicals out there. What I'm about to say next is giving me major flashbacks to organic chemistry in my undergrad, but here we go. So an organic molecule has bonds of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and to make a PFAS molecule, you have to replace some of the hydrogen with fluorine. So PFAS are molecules that have chains of these fluorine-carbon bonds, and it takes an extravagant amount of energy to break down those bonds. Hence why they're called forever chemicals, because they're just really, really, really difficult to break down. So why is this something I care about so much? Why is this something I'm talking about? Why is this something that New York and California are like, "Ex-nay on the packaging with PFAS." Kerrygold, let's take it off the shelves and do better next time. Why is this a big deal? Well, PFAS, because it is something that is so difficult to break down and it bioaccumulates in the body, meaning our bodies can't really break them down. It's something that since the '40s has been building up not only in our environment, but in our bodies over time and is starting to be linked with creating a lot of adverse health effects. Now, you guys know if you watch some of my other videos where I talk about different health topics, I'm not super sensational about calling things toxic and saying, you know, this is bad for you and this is bad for you, because in reality, everything's toxic in a certain dose, right? And you kind of have to pick and choose what you're going to be exposed to. But this particular chemical in specific is one that I feel is really something we should do about, given the research on it and how pervasive it is in our environment and how much it accumulates in our body and doesn't really go away. The most studied of these substances is the chemical I talked about before, the PFOA, which is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, decreased fertility, a lot of thyroid problems, and a decreased immune response to vaccines in children. You see, all PFAS, when they're accumulated in the body, can function as immune suppressants, and that means that any opportunistic disease, like some types of cancer, have more of an opportunity to take over in the body the more we've been exposed to PFAS. That's why this particular chemical is scary. And I know people have gotten cancers and other sorts of diseases throughout the course of history, right? That's not uncommon. But I don't know about you guys, but I've been feeling like more and more of these issues have been popping up more frequently with younger and younger generations. Things like fertility issues happening at a much younger age than, than typical, and cancer is popping up earlier, and thyroid issues, and a lot of these things that PFAS are correlated to. Not saying that it's the only cause, but it is something to be aware to and to be attuned to and to look at what is in our environment. What are some chemicals that have been around recently that haven't in the past that might be correlating to some of these increases in diseases happening sooner? So just something I want to be aware of, right? And share that with you guys. And like I said, these chemicals are particularly bad for us in the environment because they bioaccumulate, meaning our bodies cannot break them down and get rid of them. So instead, They just bind to proteins in our blood and make their way throughout the body, and they disrupt all sorts of processes. But aside from some of those human health effects that I mentioned, they also impact animals in the wildlife. Back to those polar bears I was talking about before. PFAS are extremely mobile in water, which means that once PFAS are released into the environment, they're transported very long distances and can pollute the environment for decades in various areas of the world, spreading throughout waterways. And like I said, this is so bad for the animals too, not just us. Several studies have shown that chronic exposure to PFAS could affect the brain and reproductive system and hormonal system of polar bears, the immune system and kidney and liver functions of bottlenose dolphins, and the immune system of sea otters. Poor little sea otters. Could you imagine them? They're just catching colds way more frequently. Okay, enough sad stuff about animals and humans and our health effects and all that stuff. Let's talk a little bit about how we're exposed, how we can change it, and what other companies are doing about it to mitigate the effects of PFAS moving forward. So most humans are exposed to PFAS through contaminated food, drinking water, air, dust, that sort of thing. Products in our home and workplaces contain these chemicals, also can contribute to our exposure. PFAS are found, like I said, in the bodies of 99% of Americans. I don't know who that 1% is or where they're living or how they escaped it. But, you know, kudos to you, small group of pure Americans who are untainted by the chemicals that have been poured into our environment industry of corporate America? Anyways, so we all have PFAS in our bodies for the most part, but it really comes down to our own ability to navigate products and limit our own personal consumption and exposure to PFAS, even though it really shouldn't be that way. It shouldn't be a personal responsibility, but that's just the way it is right now. Corporate policies are changing around this. It should have happened way, way, way, way, way sooner when they detected that there could be some health risks, and instead they you know, silenced anybody speaking out against it. But this happens, right? So let's do what we can for our own personal health and talk about that really quick before I dive into what we can do on the personal side of things to, again, limit our exposure. Let's talk about these company policies. So there is a big push for companies to be PFAS-free now. It takes a while, unfortunately, for these companies to turn over what they need to turn over to not be manufacturing things with PFAS and still make a profit in capitalistic America, all that good stuff, blah, blah, blah. So there are big companies like Burger King, Chipotle, and Office Depot, and Target that have planned to phase out PFAS by 2025. And a lot of smaller companies are already doing it. They've already pivoted and are manufacturing their stuff without PFAS. I will put a link down below to several resources where you can find different products and find different companies that have already vowed to do this. But it's not necessarily widespread yet. So definitely support the companies who are doing this and taking action. Um, and hopefully other companies will start to follow suit with this. So that's the best we can hope for. Okay, let's talk about how to limit our exposure to PFAS so that we're not like continuously bioaccumulating all the PFAS till our bodies can't function anymore. Okay, that's really grim, but it is the reality of it. Let's, let's go ahead and limit our exposure. Okay, so number 1: choosing textiles and carpeting without water and stain repellency. Is that going to be inconvenient when your Aunt Sharon comes over and drinks a little too much and spills her wine on the carpet and you can't get it out? Yeah, it probably will. But will you be limiting your exposure to PFAS and not bioaccumulating a toxin that could kill you? Yeah. So gotta choose, you know, choose your battle. Number 2 is you can avoid food in contact with greaseproof packaging, like delicious microwave popcorn and some fast food, until they vow to change their packaging. Um, you know, look at the company, check and see if they're about to phase out PFAS in their manufacturing process. But typically if they're not touting that on their website, they're probably not doing it. And that unfortunately includes my Kerrygold butter, which I will have to part ways with until they decide to change their packaging. But since then I've actually learned how to make my own butter. It's a pain in the butt. And a great arm workout, but it does taste delicious. All right, third thing you can do is avoid personal care products that have perfluoro or polyfluoro or PTFE on the label. All right, number 4 is that you can purchase cast iron, glass, or ceramic cookware instead of Teflon. Number 5, only purchase waterproof gear if you really, really, really need it. Number 6, support companies that are committed to phasing out PFAS. Like I said, I'll drop those links down below. You can research into it. It is important to support companies who are trying to make a change because that's the way the world goes around, supply and demand. You know how it goes. Getting a specific water filter that will filter out PFAS in your water at home. I have a Berkey countertop unit that basically sits on top of my counter. I didn't have to go and like install like a reverse osmosis unit under the sink because I'm renting an apartment and that would be really inconvenient to install and take with me. Um, but reverse osmosis is a great option. Berkey is a great option. I'll link those down below as well as another article from the EWG that you can figure out some different options that are gonna be the best for your price point and for your setup at home, but highly recommend that option. So I know that looks like a lot to do and a lot to go out of your way to limit your exposure to PFAS, but let me give you kind of like a order of priority you should go in here. So if you had to choose to start somewhere with your PFAS exposure mitigation journey, I'd I really start with what we ingest. So food and water, right? Those are huge sources of PFAS. So getting a water filter that's gonna filter out PFAS and limiting your exposure to food packaging that contains PFAS, like those grease-resistant packaging, fast food packaging, things like that. Or if you are gonna get fast food, look to companies that have already phased out PFAS in their packaging, which again, I'll link that resource down below where you can check that. But those would be my 2 most important areas to start in. Again, because ingesting it is a really easy way for that to get into the body versus putting on the skin or makeup on the eyes and that sort of thing. So start there. Then you can branch out into, you know, the textiles arena and, you know, what you're wearing and all that stuff. But start with what you're consuming and try to make sure you're mitigating what you're bringing into your body. Now, I mentioned this early on in the video, and I think it's worth repeating. Uh, you might be at this point saying, Victoria, everything is going to give us cancer at some point, isn't it? Like, I feel like there's a new toxin I'm learning about every single day that's going to kill me soon, right? Well, kind of. You're right, but with a caveat. Social media has given a platform to a lot of people who like to call a lot of things toxic without really understanding the principles of toxicology. But in reality, there are 6 main classes of toxins that we should be the most aware of, and PFAS is one of them. If you guys want me to cover over the other categories in that list, which include chemicals like BPA, which you've probably heard of from BPA-free plastics and all that stuff, and phthalates are another category, I'm happy to do that. I'm here on this platform to educate and inform and empower and really give you guys the best evidence-based information around what actually is going to be the most harmful to our health and how we can mitigate those things and focus on, you know, the bigger things instead of the small minutia of X, Y, and Z in our lotion and da, da, da, da, da, like these things that yes, can be dangerous, but we need to focus on the bigger picture of what actually, from an evidence-based perspective, is the most harmful to our health and how can we work on those things first, tackling the big things, and then go to the smaller things if you want to go into that minutia. But we really got to start with these bigger classes of chemicals that are the most harmful, like PFAS, like BPA and phthalates, things of that sort. And then you can get into all the things with like sucralose and, you know, aspartame and all that jazz. That's small stuff. We're talking about the big things. And that's what I'm talking about on this platform. My goal is to bring a voice of reason to the bigger issues, to the things that matter the most, so that you can make the, the decisions that are going to make the biggest impact in your life first. So I hope that helps explain a little bit about why I'm bringing this to the table. I'm not bringing this to add fear or scare you, but really more so to educate and to help you make better decisions that are going to help you live a longer, healthier life and feel like you can make these decisions with a more critical reasoning power behind them moving forward. Anyways, that's my small rant on the order of importance of how I view health and wellness topics. Um, not that you asked for it, but I thought it was important to share. And I hope you guys liked this video and thought it was helpful. Um, please like it if you did, subscribe to my channel. I'll be providing more content like this, more educational content on evidence-based topics in health, wellness, um, fitness, all that good stuff. And I will see you guys next time. Bye.
