Oral-B Glide floss tied to potentially toxic PFAS chemicals

People who use certain types of dental floss may be exposing themselves to a toxic chemical, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

The study, led by the Silent Spring Institute and the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, California, tested the blood of 178 women to look for evidence of PFAS, a broad class of man-made chemicals used in industry and in consumer products like waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware.

Because they’re used so widely used — and because most of them don’t break down — PFAS are found in the blood of people across the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some scientific studies have linked exposure to these chemicals with health problems.

A few years after collecting the blood samples, the researchers then asked the women in the study how often they engaged in behaviors that may relate to PFAS exposure, including using non-stick cookware, eating certain packaged foods, buying stain-resistant carpets or furniture, and flossing with Oral-B Glide.