‘It suggests a tangible payoff for public health’

California’s strict toxic chemical regulations are making a difference when it comes to residents’ exposure to dozens of hazardous substances, including cancer-causing PFAS.

Environmental Health News reported on a new one study that analyzed nationwide data on the levels of 37 toxic chemicals in people’s blood before and after California passed strict chemical laws in 1986. The researchers found that Californians had lower levels of 18 dangerous chemicals in their bodies compared to the rest of the country.

“Our finding… has potentially far-reaching implications,” Claudia Polsky, co-author and director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, said in a statement, per EHN. “It suggests a tangible public health benefit from the state’s stricter environmental regulations.”

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The news site explained that the law, Prop 65, requires products sold in California to bear labels if they contain potentially harmful levels of the 850 chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive risks. It added that Prop 65’s benefits extended beyond California, explaining that companies that send their products to California and other states would be more likely to reformulate their products nationwide rather than create different versions in different states.

BPA (better known as bisphenol A) and PFAS – of which many varieties exist – were among the chemicals found in lower concentrations in California.

BPA has been linked to health problems such as elevated blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. according to the Mayo Clinic. Exposure in children is of particular concern because it can lead to developmental and health problems such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, early puberty in girls, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, the Columbia University report said. Center for Children’s Environmental Health.

Meanwhile, PFAS exposure has been correlated with a number of health risks, including increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, lower birth weight and an increased risk of certain types of cancer. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to groundbreaking chemical laws like California’s, scientists are coming up with new ways to help us reduce our exposure to harmful substances. For example, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, discovered a way to do this zap out two common types of PFAS in drinking water in less than an hour using hydrogen and UV light. Another group in Japan has found a way to do that abort some types of PFAS in less than eight hours using visible LEDs.

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