That's because it is actually quite a complex topic. It is not like many of the recognized harmful substances that have very obvious effects. Lead poisoning has been known since the antiquity, smoking can increase the risks of cancer by several times, asbestos causes diseases that are otherwise extremely rare, etc...
Here we are talking about things like a 15% increase in the risk of diabetes, with a confidence interval that still leaves chance as a possibility. Acute poisoning is almost unheard of, except with free radicals, making it hard to evaluate toxicity as if it was a typical poison. The article mentions how scientists are struggling, especially when we consider that there is not a single PFAS. The article also links to several studies, something I wish to see more often, traditional newspapers often don't link a single study.
So yeah, in essence a lot of science is saying PFAS are harmful to health, but the real take is that we don't really know, but it doesn't look good. And because they are "forever chemicals", it may be a good idea to try to limit usage right now, even if we don't know much, by precaution.
That's because it is actually quite a complex topic. It is not like many of the recognized harmful substances that have very obvious effects. Lead poisoning has been known since the antiquity, smoking can increase the risks of cancer by several times, asbestos causes diseases that are otherwise extremely rare, etc...
Here we are talking about things like a 15% increase in the risk of diabetes, with a confidence interval that still leaves chance as a possibility. Acute poisoning is almost unheard of, except with free radicals, making it hard to evaluate toxicity as if it was a typical poison. The article mentions how scientists are struggling, especially when we consider that there is not a single PFAS. The article also links to several studies, something I wish to see more often, traditional newspapers often don't link a single study.
So yeah, in essence a lot of science is saying PFAS are harmful to health, but the real take is that we don't really know, but it doesn't look good. And because they are "forever chemicals", it may be a good idea to try to limit usage right now, even if we don't know much, by precaution.