Elite Robotics’ Forever Chemical Testing Kits Can Help You Reduce Your Exposure to These Harmful Substances
Chemistry can be amazing when used correctly. It’s the reason why we have table salt, sunscreen, cleaning products, cosmetics, and a myriad of other everyday products. It also plays a huge role in the food available at grocery stores – both in production and in preserving it.
However, not all chemicals are always good. In fact, there are thousands of chemicals that are harmful to humans, animals, and wildlife. Some of these chemicals are carcinogens. Some contribute to air, land, and water pollution. And many are in items we use around our houses every day.
Some of these chemicals – 4,700 “high persistent chemicals” that don’t naturally occur in nature are called “forever chemicals.” This is because they stay in air and water permanently. They require human intervention to remove them from the environment.
To reduce your exposure to these chemicals, you can take smart, thoughtful steps in your daily life.
What Are Forever Chemicals and Where Are They Found?
Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are informally referred to as forever chemicals. PFAS chemicals are highly toxic fluorinated chemicals that never break down or dissolve, hence the moniker. Once forever chemicals are introduced to water or are absorbed into the earth, they will remain there for the foreseeable future. The same can be said for PFAS that are in humans.
The health risks of being exposed to PFAS chemicals include:
- Cancer (most notably, testicular, liver, pancreatic, and kidney cancer)
- Compromised immune system
- Compromised reproductive system
- Harm to hormonal system (most notably, endocrine disruptors)
- Birth defects
Considering the harmful nature of forever chemicals paired with the fact that they don’t break down easily, it’s in everyone’s best interest to avoid them. The problem is that PFAS chemicals are used in thousands of different products and applications, including:
- Various electronics, including smartphones
- Cosmetics and hair care products, including shampoo and nail polish
- Certain non-stick cookware made with polytetrafluoroethylene
- Cardboard and coated paper food packaging (fast food wrappers, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags)
- Clothing, furniture, or other textiles that are labeled as water-repellent, stain-resistant, or fire-retardant
- Paints and varnishes
- Cleaning products
How to Avoid PFAS Chemicals
Unfortunately, forever chemicals are in a large variety of products, which means even the most diligent individual may encounter them. According to CHEMTrust, the following are some of the top ways to mitigate your exposure to these forever chemicals.
- Avoid the use of non-stick pans and other forms of non-stick cookware. Cast iron is a safe alternative.
- Avoid fast-food products or processed foods as their packaging likely contains PFAS chemicals. Home-cooked meals are the safest option.
- When purchasing cosmetics or haircare products, check the ingredients list for anything with PTFE or “fluoro” in the name.
- Check your drinking water using a forever chemical testing kit. Use water filters with activated carbon or reverse osmosis membranes to reduce the amount of PFAS present in your tap water.
How to Conduct Forever Chemical Testing at Home
Elite Robotics is best known for providing cannabis growers and cultivators with a reliable way to test their crops to gauge purity level, contaminants, and cannabinoid levels such as THC and CBD. Considering that hemp is still a federally regulated crop that cannot exceed 0.3 percent threshold of THC, having in-house cannabis testing equipment is vital to these growing operations.
However, we realized that our in-house lab testing products were capable of far more beyond the cannabis industry. The Analyzer product from Elite Robotics is fully capable of testing for harmful forever chemicals in everyday products such as cosmetics, food packaging, and even the drinking water that comes out of household faucets.
Because forever chemicals can originate from virtually anywhere, it’s all the more important that the average American has the scientific resources to test for PFAS chemicals to safeguard themselves and their family.
It’s also worth noting that the testing equipment manufactured by Elite Robotics uses no harmful chemicals or solvents, unlike many of the third-party lab testing facilities. This ensures that all testing done by Elite Robotics products is environmentally safe. It also means that you won’t have to wait on a third-party lab to get your results back.
Elite Robotics is making it easier for consumers and manufacturers to test products using our affordable, state-of-the-art equipment and processes. Learn more by contacting Elite Robotics at (805) 987-6217. Or send us a message directly using our contact form.