Many soft contact lenses from the US are largely made up of toxic, cancer-causing 'forever chemicals', a study shows according to a report from the Guardian.
The researchers, in order to conduct the study, tested 18 popular kinds of contact lenses and found extremely high levels of organic fluorine, a marker of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFA) in each.
Notably, PFAS refers to a class of 14,000 chemicals that are commonly employed in consumer items to make them resistant to water and heat. They are also used in a variety of household things such as clothing, furniture, adhesives, packaging, and wires. They are known as ''forever chemicals'' because they do not degrade naturally.
PFAS have also been related to cancer, fetal problems, liver disease, kidney disease, and autoimmune disorders.
The research, commissioned by the public health blogs Mamavation and Environmental Health News, looked for residues of organic fluorine in Acuvue, Alcon, and Coopervision lenses. Fluorine levels ranged from 105 to 20,700 parts per million (ppm).
The results indicate that all of the tested contact lenses surpassed 100 ppm, which is comparable to 100,000,000 ppt, or 50,000 times higher than the EPA's maximum amount declared safe in drinking water.
Alcon Air Optix (No Hydraglide) for Astigmatism (20,000ppm), Alcon Air Optix Colors with Smartshield Technology (20,700ppm), and Alcon Total30 Contact Lenses for Daily Wear (20,400ppm) had the highest levels of organic fluorine.
Because no research on how the eyes absorb PFAS from lenses has been undertaken, it is unclear what kind of health implications PFAS exposure through contact lenses would have.
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