The Chemicals Aging Us Faster

We’re aging inside an environment that didn’t exist a few generations ago. PFAS (or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a diverse group of manufactured chemicals numbering in the thousands, widely used in commercial manufacturing, beginning in the late 1940s. All PFAS molecules are comprised of carbon and fluorine atoms. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.

PFAS chemicals (often called "forever chemicals") are commonly found in non-stick cookware, water-repellent and non-stick clothing, stain-resistant carpets, food packaging, some cosmetics and cleaning products, and firefighting foam. Because these chemicals break down very slowly, they can remain in the environment for a very long time and accumulate in the body, leading to potential health and environmental concerns.

New PFAS-containing pesticides were just approved for use on common crops. At the same time, research continues to confirm that microplastics (tiny plastic particles found throughout the environment) are already inside the human body.

These aren’t isolated issues. They shape the biological terrain we now live in and quietly influence how the body carries stress, clears waste, and repairs itself over time.

Healthspan is built through daily choices, but it is also shaped by unseen exposures we rarely think about. Awareness doesn’t have to create fear. Knowledge can build leverage.

Let's walk through what’s changing and where personal action still matters:

• New PFAS pesticides just got approved and are now allowed on crops. They'll be sprayed on lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, and more. Exposure isn't limited to packaging anymore. It's in the food itself.

• PFAS don't break down. They stay. Water. Soil. Produce. They drift everywhere.

• Mirocplastics were only the beginning. PFAS are now part of the world we age in. These particles travel farther than we think. Microplastics in the brain. PFAS in blood. Both add to internal toxic load.

• You can't avoid everything, but you can lower the burden. Eat organic when possible. Use glass, not plastic. Filter your drinking water. Avoid nonstick cookware and grease-resistant food packaging, and choose PFAS-free products like clothing and cosmetics. Small shifts can have real impact.

• Nature may hold answers. Fenugreek and okra remove plastics in lab tests.

We're aging in a new world. Understanding it keeps you ahead of it. Both PFAS and microplastics are linked to accelerated aging due to mechanisms like chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular damage. PFAS can cause DNA damage and contribute to premature skin aging and other age-related conditions. Microplastics may accelerate aging at a cellular level, impacting organs like the brain and heart and disrupting mitochondrial health (cell energy and function).

In my book, Young at Any Age: How to Feel Younger, Longer, I take a deeper look into PFAS and microplastics and offer a blueprint to eliminate environmental toxic load and achieve sustained liveliness.