Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner has spent over a decade working as a writer in New York City. She currently covers all aspects of food, dining, travel and lifestyle trends and the intersection of culture, business and politics in these areas. Her work appears in The New York Times, Real Simple, Vogue, Bon Appetit, Glamour, Time Out, Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler and several more publications.Another day, another potential toxin in one of your favorite products to worry about.
PFAS, short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals designed to withstand water, oil, grease, and heat, which may sound ideal for food packaging. Until you learn that these chemicals take at least a century to break down in the human body, and much longer in our environment, and like many man-made substances approved for extensive use, they’re much less safe than we thought.
Perrier Natural Sparkling Mineral Water, La Croix Natural Sparkling Water, Canada Dry Lemon Lime Sparkling Seltzer Water, Poland Spring Zesty Lime Sparkling Water, Bubly Blackberry Sparkling Water, Polar Natural Seltzer Water, and Topo Chico Natural Mineral Water all had PFAS levels higher than 1 part per trillion.recommends only drinking water with less than 1 ppt of PFAS. Meaning, yes, sparkling water can be potentially problematic. Luckily for seltzer drinkers, improvements can be made.
Seltzers are commonly believed to be healthier than sugar-packed sodas, but recent research is bringing down their cred. For many, sparkling water is a great way to hydrate and drink the water necessary for overall health. For others, sparkling water can causeincluding bloating and reflux. If sparkling water triggers IBS or other digestive symptoms, it may be time to cut back on the bubble habit.
First, you can test your tap water with a home test kit or through a local environmental agency. If PFAS are found, you can try removing them at home. Unfortunately, boiling water to sanitize it doesn't work with forever chemicals, buttested several faucet filters and a refrigerator filter to extricate PFAS from your water.