Saturday, June 28, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

How to avoid PFAS in everyday life

Published 25 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
5 minute read

PFAS are present almost everywhere in our daily lives – but there are ways to reduce both intake and release into the environment. Simple measures can help reduce exposure and better protect both health and nature.

PFASs are a group of about 15,000 identified substances, all with varying properties and wide use in society. Common to all PFAS substances is that they are very difficult to break down and some PFAS can have harmful effects, both for humans and the environment. All PFAS substances are synthetically produced and do not occur naturally in the environment.

Studies show that there are links between several health problems and exposure to PFASs, such as cancer, liver damage, reproductive impairment, intestinal diseases and thyroid disorders, according to Naturskyddsföreningen. Some studies show that girls with high levels of PFAS in their blood started menstruating earlier than girls with lower levels, while other studies show that pregnant women with PFAS in their blood are at risk of their children becoming overweight later on. Children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic chemicals as their organs are still developing, and last year researchers alerted that Norwegian babies had particularly high levels of PFAS in their blood, including as many as 78% of six-month-olds.

About nine years ago, the much-publicized PFAS scandal in Kallinge came to light. After the Swedish Armed Forces used a fire-fighting foam containing the dangerous chemicals, these had been dispersed into the water for several decades, which the people of Kallinge had been drinking without knowing it. Samples showed greatly elevated levels of PFAS. After many court cases, the Kallinge residents were finally awarded damages.

Following the scandal, a number of residents in the area have been diagnosed with cancer, including Louise Karlsson, who has bladder cancer, and her son, who has the chronic intestinal disease Crohn’s.

– Yesterday I found out about two more cancer cases here, one with throat cancer and one with rectal cancer. Several of us have been affected, one after the other, said Kallingebon to TT in 2023.

Avoid microwave food

Since 2023, there are limit values for the amount of PFAS that may be present in food in the EU. According to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), however, these values are not based on what is safe for health.

Unfortunately, there are so many PFAS in nature that some foods would not be allowed to be sold if the limit were set from a health perspective”, writes the association.

So it can still be useful to know where most of the dangerous chemicals are found, even if it is difficult to avoid them completely. PFASs repel grease, dirt and water. This is why they are often found in food packaging, such as microwave foods. They can also be found in fast food packaging.

Unfortunately, a lot of fish and shellfish contain these harmful substances. Swedish fish and even crayfish have been found to contain high levels and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation advises against eating fish and shellfish from lakes near communities or industries.

PFAS are often found in pesticides, so choosing organic fruits and vegetables can be beneficial.

Avoid: Teflon and paper cups

When cooking, it is safer to use glass, porcelain, stainless steel and cast iron pans, pots and pans. Avoid those with non-stick coatings, such as Teflon.

Many textiles on the market have dirt-repellent impregnations, such as carpets, some sofas and tents. When buying a sofa, for example, you are more likely to sit PFAS-free if you choose one with a washable cover.

It is also said that paper and plastic cups are real PFAS bombs and since PFAS substances are digested by hot drinks such as coffee, tea or chocolate, it is better to use porcelain cups.

Another somewhat unexpectedly PFAS-intensive product is receipt paper, so it may be wise to rinse your hands after fiddling with a receipt and wear suitable work gloves if you work daily with receipts in any form.

Found in all drinking water

Today, there is a recommendation of a limit value of 4 ng/L in drinking water, which will become legally binding from 2026. PFAS is found in almost all Swedish drinking water, but only one in ten municipalities currently exceeds the limit value. To find out what the situation is in your municipality, you can contact the water companies, which often indicate the level on their website. If you have your own well, you can contact your municipality’s environmental administration for advice on how to test your water.

There are filters on the market for the purpose of purifying water from PFAS, but the documentation on the effectiveness of these is limited.

Think about cleaning

PFAS are commonly found in laundry and cleaning products, especially in floor polish and impregnation for stone, grout, tiles and clinker. However, product labels such as Bra Miljöval, Nordic Swan, Ecocert should be completely free of PFAS. Other common labels such as Blauer Engel, TCO and EU Organic are more product specific.

PFAS have been found in face creams, face masks, eyeliners, foundations, high lighters, hair oil, lip pencils, shaving cream, mascaras, primers, powders, serums, toothpicks, eye pencils and eye shadows of several brands on the Swedish market.

A study published in 2018 by Stockholm University and others tested cosmetic products sold in Sweden. It found known PFAS substances in 16 out of 31 products tested. In some products, the level of the hazardous PFAS substance PFOA was so high that it could pose a health hazard in daily use.

As the PFAS substances mentioned above are often water, grease and dirt repellent, they can often be found in waterproof mascara or in foundation. Avoid products with ingredients containing “PTFE”, “polytef”, “perfluoro” or “polyfluoro” in the name. This does not guarantee complete avoidance of the substances, as they can slip into products unintentionally, but it is a good indicator to start with. Some products are also explicitly labeled as “PFAS-free”.

Sportswear contributes to environmental poisoning

Even impregnation for shoes and clothes often contains PFAS substances. It is better to choose Nordic Swan Ecolabeled products or impregnation made of wax. For skis, you should choose fluorine-free ski wax, and for bicycles it is best to choose car wax or lubricating oil that does not contain PTFE.

Unfortunately, functional clothing and shoes often contain PFAS. According to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, this is not dangerous to use, but it does contribute to the release of these substances into the environment. In this context, don’t forget the possibility of shopping second hand, or why not go to a clothing swap day?

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EU classifies mink as invasive

Biodiversity

Published 25 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Minks threaten biodiversity by preying on birds, amphibians and small mammals, causing great damage to sensitive ecosystems.
2 minute read

The EU’s list of invasive alien species has been updated – mink is now included. However, Finland plans to apply for an exemption to continue fur farming.

The European Union has updated its list of alien species that threaten biodiversity. The species on the list are banned from being imported, sold, bred, cultivated or used within the EU. One of the most notable new additions is the mink – a decision that is causing concern in the Finnish fur industry, which has been heavily criticised in many quarters.

Invasive species are animals and plants that spread to new areas and cause ecological imbalance. They can outcompete native species and cause significant damage to ecosystems. The EU list is intended as a tool to limit their spread and protect biodiversity.

The inclusion of mink in the ban could deal a severe blow to Finland’s controversial fur farms, but Finland hopes to obtain an exemption, as it did in 2017 when the raccoon dog was added to the list.

– The assessment is that Finland is likely to be granted an exemption, says Karin Cederlöf, government secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

North American beaver displacing European variety

If the exemption is approved, mink farming could continue in the country, but under stricter safety requirements. However, no new farms would be allowed to be established.

Finland is now preparing an official request to the EU for an exemption for mink. The government and parliament have given the go-ahead, and work will start immediately after the summer break.

In addition to mink, the North American beaver has also been added to the list. Finland has already taken measures to reduce the spread of the disease in order to protect the endangered European beaver. These efforts will now be further intensified, according to Cederlöf.

Several new bird and fish species as well as plants are also covered by the rules. Among mammals, in addition to mink, sika deer is also among the newly added species.

The EU’s work against invasive species is usually described as a central part of the Union’s environmental strategy, and the list is updated regularly as new threats are identified. For Finland, the decisions represent a delicate balance between nature conservation and economic interests – and the exemption for mink could be decisive for the future of the fur industry.

Chimpanzees caught on camera sharing alcoholic fruit

Published 14 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

For the first time, wild chimpanzees have been documented eating and sharing fruit containing alcohol. The research team speculates that this behavior could be described as an early evolutionary stage of “feasting”.

Researchers from the University of Exeter in England set up ten separate cameras with motion sensors in a national park in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. There, they captured chimpanzees sharing the fermented fruit Treculia africana. The fruit contained an alcohol content of up to 0.61 percent. The behavior raises questions about whether and why chimpanzees consciously seek out alcohol.

– For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation, said Anna Bowland, one of the researchers behind the study, in a press release, continuing:

We also know that sharing alcohol – including through traditions such as feasting – helps to form and strengthen social bonds. So – now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits – the question is: could they be getting similar benefits?

The amount observed is probably not enough to get the chimpanzees drunk, but the researchers estimate that the filmed episodes only provide a small glimpse into how much fermented fruit the animals eat in a day, as their diet consists of 60-85 percent fruit.

Researchers believe that more research is needed into why chimpanzees eat fermented fruit together, but speculate that the behavior may represent an early evolutionary stage of “feasting”.

Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behaviour with fermented fruit might be important, says Dr. Kimberley Hockings of the University of Exeter. “If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history”.

Bats “surf” the winds to power their migration

Published 7 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Bats use the warm fronts of storms to “surf” as they migrate, research shows. This way, they use less energy and can fly longer distances.

The greater noctule bat is Sweden’s largest bat species, with a wingspan of 30 to 45 centimeters. The species also lives in Finland. Like birds, bats migrate thousands of kilometers annually across North America, Europe, and Africa. Now, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) have studied 71 greater noctule bats during their approximately 1,600-kilometer-long spring migration across the European continent. Using sensors, the researchers were able to measure the bats’ activity levels as well as the air temperatures in which they were flying.

The researchers discovered that the bats often paused during their flights but could travel as far as 400 kilometers in a single night breaking the previous distance record for the species. The bats interrupted their migration flights with frequent stops, likely because they needed to feed continuously.

– Unlike migratory birds, bats don’t gain weight in preparation for migration, explains Dina Dechmann of MPI-AB, one of the authors of the study, in a press release. They need to refuel every night, so their migration has a hopping pattern rather than a straight shot.

Furthermore, an interesting pattern emerged in the bats’ migration. On some nights, more bats chose to fly than on others, which turned out to be weather-dependent. The bats began flying on nights when air pressure dropped and temperatures rose in other words, when storms were approaching. The sensors on the transmitters measuring activity levels also showed that the bats used less energy when flying on these warm, windy nights. After further analysis, it became clear that the bats were using the warm winds during storms to “surf”.

– They were riding storm fronts, using the support of warm tailwinds, says Edward Hurme, a researcher at MPI-AB. It was known that birds use wind support during migration, and now we see that bats do too.

The results of the study are important for the survival of bats, say researchers. Migrating bats are threatened by human activities, especially wind turbines which cause many collisions. Knowing where and when bats migrate can help prevent deaths.

– We can be stewards of bats, helping wind farms to turn off their turbines on nights when bats are streaming through, says Hurme.

Swedes earn money clearing invasive species

Biodiversity

Published 28 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Large-leaved lupines are beautiful - but highly invasive.
1 minute read

Through a mobile game, individuals can “play” by heading out into nature, removing invasive plants, and even getting paid for their efforts. This year, seven Swedish municipalities are testing the game.

The Crowdsorsa mobile game has been used in Finland for three consecutive years, where last year it removed invasive plants from 7000 observations. It is also available in Canada.

This year, the municipalities of Hagfors, Örebro, Sunne, Karlsborg, Lilla Edet, Tanum and Falun are trying it out. The idea is that individuals find invasive plants, either via the map in the app or by themselves, remove them and get paid. As proof, they must film before and after clearing.

The total budget for this year in Sweden is SEK 126,000 (€11,600), which individuals can “play” for. At most, you can earn SEK 200 (€18.5) per hour, with the municipality responsible for paying out the reward.

“Fun way to work”

Last year, it was also successfully used in Hagfors and Örebro. In Hagfors, a total of 17 different teams played.

– The players did a great job! We think it’s a fun way to work with invasive alien species and an effective way to reach the public – and especially young people – with knowledge about invasive species, says municipal ecologist Katarina Karlsson in Hagfors municipality to Natursidan.

Invasive species often spread quickly and can displace native species, which in turn can damage the ecosystem. The game starts already in June, where, among other things, large-leaved lupine, Himalayan balsam and Canadian goldenrod will be removed.

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