Your Gear is Poisoning You! (Not Clickbait)

Thank you for watching this video. I spent a bunch of time and money making this video possible. The Sponsor I originally had helping me fund this project unfortunately fell through. If you want to help fund this and similar projects (that aren't always sponsor friendly) please consider donating through the Super Thanks button above. Your support is greatly appreciated.

*Some of my sources:*

*Some of the PFAS Free Gear I used:*

*Other Brands Not Using PFAS:*

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[MyLifeOutdoors]

*Some of the PFAS Free Gear I used:*

*See the description section of the video to find links to my PFAS sources and other companies committed to NOT using gear containing PFAS

[arsonne]

Just a friendly reminder that manufacturers knew about the dangers of these chemicals decades before it became common public knowledge and just didn’t give a shit.

[markcalhoun]

As a Chemical Engineer the issue is generally that while the polymer itself is very very stable, the monomer is never completely consumed in the reaction and cleaning of the polymer fibers is never sufficient to remove ALL remaining monomer. Think of it like a big bowl of spaghetti, toss in in sauce, then freeze it... then wash the sauce off the outside without letting it melt... still lots of sauce mixed in the middle to slowly leak out.

[Spring]

As a backpacker whose day job is in the field of environmental cleanup (including PFAS), I can say this video was very well researched, clearly presented, and refreshingly accurate. I'll be sharing it widely!

[michaelwolf]

Analytical chemist here. Thank you so much for this video to spread awareness.

For us, it is very obvious why PFAS are still an issue: proper analysis is sophisticated and therefore alarming PFAS levels don't show up on routine analysis - it requires specific targeted analysis and it is very difficult to get funded for such an analysis before it gets proven multiple times to be an issue. Also, the industry doesn't like to be proven as problematic and every university in the USA is funded by the industry. This means most research groups are basically prohibited to research it, because state funding for non-profitable innovation has been successfully defeated.

If you want to know why the analysis is hard, it's because everything is a source of contamination and it is hard to prove the results to be true. The very instrument itself and necessary consumables to measure them will shed PFAS, if no special parts are used. You will all hear more from PFAS in the following decades.

[feanythmayosh]

Not sure if I am able to express myself properly in English as I am Dutch.
I'm a projectleader in soil and groundwater remediation in The Netherlands. We have a massive PFAS problem due to some large PFAS and GenX producing factories either in The Netherlands or in the countries around us that are close to the bigger rivers. All those rivers cross through The Netherlands towards th North Sea.
But we have set limits on what we allow in the soil and water, but also have put research on what the humane risk level is. It has been set on:
59ug/kg PFOS in soil
60ug/kg PFOA in soil
57ug/kg GenX in soil
9, 9 ng/l PFOS in water (including consumption)
20 ng/l PFOA in water (including consumption)
330 ng/l GenX in water (including consumption)

There is a lot of research going on, on how we can destroy the strong molecular chains of PFAS. Slowly we are seeing aucceses in those research. Like the company Groundwater Technology in Rotterdam is getting some positive results in that field.

PFOS hasn't been allowed to use since 2017 here, for one exception. Firefighters at chemical plants and at airfields are allowed to use foam with PFOS because there hasn't been an alternative found yet for controlling the extreme temperatures that come with fires at chemical plants and aircrafts.

[JustinOutdoors]

The questions you're asking and the tests you're doing are what the outdoor industry needs. I'd love if Arcteryx provided some comment.

[mathiasfrees]

I work for a company that pioneered making PFAS-free non-stick cookware 17 years ago and has been proudly fighting the PFAS infested cookware industry ever since. Can't be more thrilled to see other channels spreading awareness around this topic! Keep up the good work as they are still slithering their way through A LOT of other products!

[xbringyourboardx]

Thank you! I’m an environmental specialist in the water industry and I can’t tell you how glad I am that someone made such an approachable video demonstrating the ubiquity of this problem.

[gladand]

In Denmark, it would be illegal to advertise a product as "PFAS-free", as it would be considered 'greenwashing'. It is something along the lines that you don't need to advertise that you are sticking to the law, as being PFAS-free is a legal requirement. Awesome video sir!

[TheFinalIllusion]

Thanks DuPont for poisoning us PERMANENTLY

[ana]

We need as many people like you as we can get these days. Honestly sometimes feels like everyone knows that we're destroying our planet and health yet no one gives a shit.

[Gnarmarmilla]

Brother, work like this deserves some accommodation. Thank you very much for exploring this topic.
May God bless you.

[tsbrownie]

The jacket test was very kind to the manufacturer, because if the jacket was on a moving human, subject to abrasion and human "chemicals" (sweat, salt...) I would expect the amount of PFAS shed would be astronomically higher.

[Jaypher]

If this man goes missing one day, we know why. Stellar work as always!

[HoneyShark]

This is exactly the kind of content I want to support monetarily, thank you for your research

[CliffSturgeon]

Thanks for doing the haard work. I try not to stress too much about knock on effects on myself, but taking care of the environment for my future generations is a virtuous act and knowledge is power.

[teldrah]

I can highly recommend Vaude, they've started to phase out PFAS over a decade ago when the public had no idea what that stuff even was. Now, their entire clothing line is 100% free of PFAS and other fluorocarbons. They're not cheap, but the quality is great and they offer a good repair service. My dad bought a tent in the 80s and they still repaired it for him a few years ago when a zipper broke. I think they didn't even charge him.

[jimw]

Thanks! I doubt those water tests were cheap, happy to support.

[andrewmarshall]

Thanks for all the hard work and ingenuity that went into this. Well done!