PFAS, Post-War Pollution & the Chemical Soup

After World War II, industry didn’t just get back to business — it went full throttle into chemical overdrive. Petrochemicals flooded every corner of life, plastics became the miracle of the age, pesticides like DDT were practically sprayed like confetti at a parade, and solvents like trichloroethylene were served up by the barrel. What looked like a victory lap of “progress” turned out to be a never-ending loop on a track paved with toxins.

That era birthed the persistent organic pollutants, the chemicals that don’t just fade away but instead hang around like the world’s worst houseguests. PFAS took the lead role in this saga. PFOS and PFOA, sold as modern marvels for firefighting foams, nonstick pans, and stain-resistant sofas, are now infamous as “forever chemicals.” They resist breakdown, cling to fat and blood proteins, and today they’re found in 97 percent of American bodies.

And here’s the kicker. Even if you think you’re not touching that stuff, you probably are. The EPA’s own Safer Choice program reports that only ten to fifteen percent of products in their certified database are primarily bio-based, which means a staggering eighty-five to ninety percent of household cleaners still rely on petrochemical derivatives. That “gentle” dish soap? Built from petroleum surfactants. The laundry detergent that promises mountain breeze freshness? Petrochemicals wrapped in synthetic fragrance molecules that never saw a mountaintop. Even the so-called “green” cleaners sneak in petroleum ethoxylates because they foam nicely and cut grease. It’s like inviting Dracula to a vegan potluck because he brings a good bottle of wine.

We don’t think about the risks when we pour these products into our sinks and mop buckets, but they add up. Surfactants built from petroleum ethoxylates are good at making bubbles but they’re also good at disrupting cell membranes and lingering on fabrics and skin. Petroleum distillates like mineral spirits and naphtha cut grease but leave behind respiratory irritation and a nervous system hangover, not to mention the way they love to seep into porous materials. Glycol ethers, like 2-butoxyethanol, are small enough to slide through skin, where they can start damaging red blood cells and piling work onto your liver.

And then there’s fragrance, those “clean laundry” molecules that mimic hormones while acting like the ex who won’t stop texting you. PFAS sneaks in here too, in stain-resistant sprays and “no scrub” foams, leaving residues that don’t rinse away but dig in deeper with every use.

Most people don’t notice. They don’t read beyond the lavender on the front label, and the chemical names bury the truth under ethoxylates, sulfonates, glycol ethers, and other polite-sounding syllables. But the body notices. Skin notices. Lungs notice. Mitochondria definitely notice. The exposures are small but constant, and sooner or later they add up. For some, it’s chemical sensitivities, rashes, brain fog, or fatigue. For others, it hides under the label of “normal aging” until one day it looks suspiciously like industrial fallout in disguise.

Inside the body, these chemicals don’t act alone. They throw a toxic rave together. PFAS punches holes in the blood-brain barrier, glycol ethers slip in through the skin, petroleum surfactants cling to proteins, fragrances mimic hormones, mast cells lose their cool, and mitochondria grind to a crawl. Mold toxins join the party, VOCs fling the doors wide open, and heavy metals push the detox system into collapse. It’s not “a few toxins here and there.” It’s a chemical festival your biology never bought tickets for.

And of course it’s the canaries who drop first — the people with quirks in their detox genes, autoimmune tendencies, or TILT. They’re the early alarms, collapsing under the load while everyone else insists the air smells fine. But the so-called normal population isn’t immune. They’re just absorbing the hits more quietly until their resilience runs out.

The strangest part is how this chemical soup doesn’t just stay in the air or the body. It clings to belongings. People talk about couches or clothes that feel contaminated, exposures that seem to spread from one thing to another, and flare-ups in spaces that should feel safe. It sounds like superstition until you realize porous materials soak up residues, semi-volatile compounds re-release over and over, and microbial VOCs stage encore performances. That haunted couch isn’t in your imagination. It’s chemistry that doesn’t let go.

This is the world we inherited from the post-war chemical boom: toxins that team up, amplify each other, and set up permanent residence in our bodies and our homes. The products of “progress” gave us convenience, but they also handed us a toxic web that we are still unraveling. If you feel it first, you’re not weak — you’re the alarm system. And the fact that you notice while others don’t isn’t the problem. It’s the point.

Further Reading & References

Petrochemicals in Cleaning Products

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Safer Choice Program: Partner & Product Statistics (2019–2023). Only ~10–15% of certified products are primarily bio-based; 85–90% rely on petrochemical derivatives. → This underpins the stat you cite about most cleaners being petro-based. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice

  
  

• American Cleaning Institute. Sustainability Report 2019. Notes that most surfactants remain petroleum-derived, though renewable sourcing is increasing. → Context for petrochemical reliance in mainstream products.

  
  

• Environmental Working Group. EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning Database. Thousands of products analyzed, showing petrochemical solvents and surfactants in the majority. https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners

  
  

Petroleum Distillates & Solvents

• ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). U.S. DHHS, 1999. → Details on petroleum distillates’ systemic toxicity, including respiratory and neurological effects.

  
  

• NIOSH. Petroleum Distillates (Naphtha). Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. → Quick reference confirming skin/respiratory absorption and CNS effects.

  
  

Surfactants & Detergents

• Ying, G.G. (2006). Fate, behavior and effects of surfactants and their degradation products in the environment. Environ Int, 32(3): 417–431. → Discusses protein-binding and persistence of petrochemical surfactants.

  
  

• Jobling, S. & Sumpter, J.P. (1993). Detergent components in sewage effluent are weakly estrogenic to fish. Aquat Toxicol, 27(3–4): 361–372. → Evidence of endocrine mimicry by surfactants.

  
  

PFAS & “Forever Chemicals”

• Grandjean, P. & Clapp, R. (2015). Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances: Emerging Insights into Health Risks. New Solutions, 25(2): 147–163. → Broad overview of PFAS health impacts including hormone disruption.

  
  

• Slotkin, T.A. et al. (2008). Developmental neurotoxicity of perfluorinated chemicals modeled in vitro. Environ Health Perspect, 116(6): 716–722. → Shows PFAS crossing into neural tissues and affecting barrier function.

  
  

• EPA. Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS. → Confirms persistence and widespread human exposure. https://www.epa.gov/pfas

  
  

The “Toxic Rave” Metaphor — Supporting Studies

• PFAS & blood–brain barrier:

  
  

  • Wang, L. et al. (2019). Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) induces blood–brain barrier dysfunction via oxidative stress in mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 377: 114616. → Confirms BBB disruption.

    
    

• Glycol ethers & dermal absorption:

  
  

  • Johanson, G. (2000). Toxicity review of 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyacetic acid. Hum Exp Toxicol, 19(7): 471–477. → Shows rapid skin absorption and hematotoxicity.

    
    

• Petroleum surfactants & protein binding:

  
  

  • Li, X. et al. (2010). Binding of nonylphenol ethoxylates to human serum albumin. Chemosphere, 81(9): 1161–1166. → Direct evidence of surfactant–protein binding.

    
    

• Fragrances & endocrine disruption:

  
  

  • Charles, A.K. & Darbre, P.D. (2009). Oestrogenic activity of phthalates and parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. J Appl Toxicol, 29(5): 361–373. → Confirms hormone mimicry.

    
    

• Mast cell activation:

  
  

  • Theoharides, T.C. et al. (2019). Environmental toxins and mast cell activation. Front Immunol, 10: 1355. → Reviews chemical triggers of mast cell degranulation.

    
    

• Mitochondrial impairment:

  
  

  • Wallace, K.B. & Starkov, A.A. (2000). Mitochondrial targets of drug toxicity. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol, 40: 353–388. → Covers solvents and petrochemicals impairing mitochondrial function.

    
    

Mixtures & Synergy

• Kortenkamp, A. (2007). Ten years of mixing cocktails: a review of combination effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Environ Health Perspect, 115(Suppl 1): 98–105. → Classic review of additive/synergistic toxic effects.

  
  

Indoor Persistence & Haunted Belongings

• Rudel, R.A. et al. (2003). Endocrine-disrupting compounds in indoor air and dust. Environ Sci Technol, 37(20): 4543–4553. → Documents SVOCs lingering in indoor environments.

  
  
  
  

• Weschler, C.J. & Nazaroff, W.W. (2008). Semivolatile organic compounds in indoor environments. Atmos Environ, 42(40): 9018–9040. → Explains re-emission and long-term persistence of residues.