An environmental group in Taiwan yesterday urged the government to reassess the health risks of cosmetics and band-aid products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Taiwan Watch Institute made the call following a new UK study confirming that a wide range of PFAS used in consumer products can be absorbed through human skin.
The research, conducted by the University of Birmingham and published in Environment International, tested 17 types of advanced 3D human skin models that mimic the properties of normal human skin and found 15 types of PFAS seeped into the skin model within 36 hours.
Photo: Taipei Times file
The shorter the chemical’s carbon chains, the easier it is absorbed into the skin, the research showed. The newer, shorter-chained chemicals called perfluoropentanoic acid, was absorbed into the skin at four times the rate of perfluorooctanoic acid, at 59 percent.
The research revealed important new findings, including that PFAS can enter the body via food or drinking water and by absorption through the skin, and that the absorption rate is higher than expected, institute secretary-general Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖) said.
The chemical structures of PFAS are not entirely water or oil-resistant, as their hydrophilic functional groups can be absorbed by the skin, Hsieh said.
Another important finding is that PFAS with shorter carbon chains absorbed into the skin more easily, he said.
PFAS with longer chains had been banned or limited, and there has been a shift toward chemicals with shorter chain lengths, because they were believed to be less toxic. However, the research shows that the trade-off might be that people absorb more of them, he said.
On the other hand, although PFAS with longer chains have lower absorption rates, they might remain in the skin tissue for longer periods of time, Hsieh said.
Hsieh also said many clothing, cosmetics, band-aids and other medical devices that have water or oil-resistant properties might contain PFAS, and urged the government to conduct health reassessments on products that have direct contact with skin.
The government can also ask manufacturers to disclose whether their product contains PFAs, as other countries do, he said, adding that the government can also order products be made with alternative chemicals instead of PFAS to reduce health risks.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
RSS