PFAS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
LastWeekTonight4 HN recommenders · recommended in 4 months, 2021–2025
commentary · general · 2021–2025 on HN
John Oliver's Last Week Tonight segment on PFAS, the 'forever chemicals' linked to health problems. It covers their widespread use in products like nonstick coatings and repellent fabrics and the limits of regulation.
HN points to it as a well-researched, accessible overview of PFAS in PFAS-related threads.
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6 comments from Hacker News
Additional good videos: * Vox: link * MinuteEarth: link * MinuteFood: link * LastWeekTonight (John Oliver): ▶ this video (2021) * LastWeekTonight (John Oliver): link (2024) * DW (Deutsche Welle) Documentary: link
I thought that too. There is a video by John Oliver talking about PFAS and the other hundred or so variants of these compounds. [1] There are other videos talking about how companies can still use these compounds because the EPA only outlawed about 3 of the 130 or so. [1] - ▶ this video [video]
John Oliver (I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but he does his homework) did an episode on these, last year: ▶ this video
Last week, on Last Week Tonight, John Oliver talks about PFAS, which was very interesting. Not only teflon, but all kind of repellent fabrics like Gore-tex: ▶ this video
> Also, claiming that [PFAS] "seem to be poisonous" without any qualifiers is a little misleading. To my knowledge they're only poisonous during manufacturing (ie. the precursor chemicals) and when they get too hot. It’s a bit difficult to exactly measure the effects of PFAS and how much of it makes it poisonous—when a study sought a control group of people without any in their blood for a study, they were not able to find a single living person on this planet that fits the definition anymore—but even with what we know the author is likely significantly understating that particular point[0]. Even if we ignore the poison released into the environment during manufacturing, I am yet to see a used Teflon pan that has no scratches (and that’s just the ones visible with naked eye). Combine with the fact that non-Teflon pans are becoming nearly impossible to find in many retail stores, and it becomes somewhat concerning. [0] ▶ this video
Not sure if you'll consider this a more scientific source, but John Oliver also did a piece about PFAS: ▶ this video . The list of issues that the wiki article claims are "high certainty" is also quite concerning to me: link At the very least, seems that the production is being ramped down - quick skim of the article yielded this quote: "Their [PFASs'] production has been regulated or phased out by manufacturers, such as 3M, DuPont, Daikin, and Miteni in the US, Japan, and Europe."