These five brands of dental floss have exposed people to harmful chemicals, the study found
These five brands of dental floss have exposed people to harmful chemicals, the study found
Women who said they had an oral-B-Glide thread had higher levels of PFAS called PFOS in the blood than those who did not, researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of Environmental Exposure and Epidemiology.
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"I'm not trying to tell people, I'm not," said Katie Borono, a faculty scientist at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts, who was part of the study. "It's about choosing safer products."
CDC cites a dental thread in the list of products that may contain PFAS. Studies have been conducted on people between PFHxS and liver damage and decreased immune response.
"This finding suggests that it may be more important than expected," said Courtney Carinan, associate professor of food science and toxicology at Michigan State University who was not part of the study, although scientists know PFAS is used in Glide.
In addition to looking at blood levels of women, the researchers analyzed the chemical composition of 18 types of dental floss. Six positive test for fluorine, a component they said indicates PFAS compounds. These products were CVS Health EaseBetween SuperSlip Dental Floss Waxed and Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Mint and Glide Pro-Health Original and Crest Glide Deep Clean Cool Mint Floss and Safeway Signature Care Mint Waxed Comfort Floss and Colgate Total Dental Floss Mint.
"The safety of people using our products is our first priority," said Procter & Gamble, the company that owns the Oral-B and Crest brand, for BuzzFeed News via e-mail: "Our dental floss is subject to a comprehensive safety assessment and we are committed to the safety of all Our Products ".
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"We are committed to ensuring that the products we offer are safe, work as intended, comply with regulations and satisfy customers," said a CVS spokesman by e-mail.
Colgate-Palmolive and Safeway did not respond to BuzzFeed News requests for comment.
PFAS vehicles are used in the manufacture of many consumer products, including teflon cookers, non-stick utensils, shoes and waterproof clothing, carpets, upholstery, and some types of packaging food. (The Colgate website describes Total Dental Floss as "monofilament Teflon fibers.")
Firefighting foams used at airports and military bases also contain chemicals for PFOS. MOD has identified 126 locations near military bases with PFAS in its own drinking water sources. Dozens of municipalities near chemical plants that manufactured PFAS products once find vehicles in public water networks.
"We found the results to be significant, although respondents to PFAS may also be exposed to other sources," said Philip Grandgin, a professor of environmental health at Harvard University who did not participate in the study.
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"Non-stick pans have a larger surface, but we do not rip it like a dental floss."
Rita Loch Caruso, professor of environmental health at the University of Michigan who did not participate in the study, indicated that fluoride - which also contains fluorine - is sometimes added to dental products. "It was good to see them discussing whether fluoride could contribute to fluorine measurements in the thread," she told BuzzFeed.
Borono said no products had been announced to contain fluoride for dental health.
The survey surveyed 178 women, 87 of whom were black and 91 non-Hispanic. The authors noted that follow-up actions should include other ethnicities.
The purpose of the study is to get a clearer idea of how people absorb chemicals, Borono said. "Apart from people who have been contaminated with drinking water or exposed to fluorinated fluoride chemicals at work, we do not know the most important source of exposure," she said.