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Comment by hammock | Hacker News Reader

>Even though they 'stopped' using these chemicals in manufacturing 10-15 years ago

Citation needed. PFCs are EVERYWHERE, in TODAY's products. Everything from water-resistant workout pants, to your Chipotle burrito bowl container, to teflon-coated pasta extruders used in food manufacturing (which you cannot examine the way you can a non-stick pan to see whether it's degraded or not) to Glide dental floss that you put in your mouth daily.

You won't find PFCs on the label of any of these examples, either. But they're there.

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Yes, absolutely true. I've re-read some of the US history, and it was much more recent (if even). The EPA put pressure on DuPont and 3M to begin a phase-out in 2002, but it wasn't until 2015 that they stopped manufacturing it...

Except that they produced a new formula (Gen-X) that exists in a regulatory grey-zone that they produce as much or more of then they ever did C8. [1] Plus, DuPont spun off that division into its own separate org to shield themselves from liability. [2] What's concerning is how short both Wikipedia articles are, it tells me they've had continued success flying under the radar.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GenX

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemours

What’s the safe alternative for glide floss?

Dr. Tung's Smart Floss. It's a polyester floss coated with beeswax, no teflon or PFA.

Why have you been downvoted?

A moderator will probably berate me for this meta-commentary, but there is a robot that comes along and down-votes all of my new comments regularly. I don't know if it is just me or every recent comment.

Ultimate floss from oral b sold overseas has been great, it’s hard to get but it’s like a dry fabric type of material that is porous and grippy rather than slick and coated floss like glide.

Not really informed enough to answer this with confidence. A water pick?

I've really enjoyed my water flosser, my only complaint has been how loud it is. Also, if you use a strong mouthwash in the reservoir there is the possibility it will etch and eat into the reservoir tank. I typically try to flush mine out with fresh water after each use.

I've been aware of PFAS contaminants in water supplies but had no idea it's found in dental floss too. Thanks for the info.. What is the FDA doing? But then again, having worked in the federal workforce. I am not really surprised.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/dental-fl...

>What is the FDA doing?

Nothing. PFCs are not federally regulated by any federal agency that I'm aware of. Despite many different NGOs defining "no safe levels" in the water supply AKA 1 ppt is bad.

Lets start with the first question - how much revenue is generated by these products for the companies that produce them?

PFCs and PFAs are not strictly the same but closely related. Both are still heavily used today and considered to be the next gen PCBs.

TIL

I've been using Glide for years. Going to throw it all out today. Thanks for the info

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