A study found women who flossed with Oral B Glide Floss has a higher level of a chemical called perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) that could be dangerous to their health. The toxic chemical found in this type of dental floss have been tied to cancer, heart disease according to the new study. Women that did not use this type of floss did not have the higher level of the chemical in their bodies.
These chemicals that are also found in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, various food packaging and even firefighting foams at airports and military bases. Studies have shown links also to liver damage, cancer, and developmental issues. The chemical is one that can stay in the body for years as well as the environment.
The chemical was found in fluorine which has PFAS compounds.
Floss goes through the teeth and we essentially chew on it. While the chemical is also found in nonstick pans, we do not chew on the actual substance like we do dental floss.
Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, did not participate in the study, but commented on a January 9, 2019 Buzzfeed article that he found the study results notable, even though the participants could have been exposed to PFASs from other sources.
When researchers looked at women’s blood levels, the r analyzed the chemical makeup of 18 types of dental floss. Six tested positive for fluorine, which would indicate a presence of PFAS compounds. Those products were CVS Health Ease Between SuperSlip Dental Floss Waxed, Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Mint and Glide Pro-Health Original, Crest Glide Deep Clean Cool Mint Floss, Safeway Signature Care Mint Waxed Comfort Floss, and Colgate Total Dental Floss Mint. Source Buzzfeed News
“A study in 2019 suggested that PFAS appear to be ingested from floss and make their way into the blood. This is concerning because PFAS have been shown to cause tumors in animals; and in people, higher exposure to certain PFAS is associated with increased cholesterol, effects on the immune system, changes in liver enzymes, increased risk of kidney or liver cancer, thyroid hormone disruption, and low infant birth weights (EPA 2018; CDC 2020). Unfortunately, labels on dental floss are not always clear as to whether or not they contain PFAS. ´Source Consumer Lab
