Aspen’s Orseck Explains the Growing Impact of PFAS [Video]

As research has evolved on the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), correlations are being made to medical conditions within people exposed—and that’s about everyone to some degree.

“We’re ingesting this stuff for years and years, to the point where the [Centers for Disease Control] estimates 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood,” Daniel Orseck, senior vice president – environmental at Aspen Insurance told Kelly told Insurance Journal’s Andrea Wells, vice president of content, at the WSIA Annual Marketplace in San Diego.

These so-called “forever chemicals” are used in the production of many products, such as nonstick cookware, certain kinds of fabrics and clothing, cosmetics, and firefighting foams.

It’s a personal issue for Orseck, he told Wells. Additionally, the research has drawn the attention of regulators, Orseck said.

The topic is one Insurance Journal and its sister publications have kept an eye on. The insurance industry has taken note of PFAS risk as regulation and litigation grows.

Related: Underwriters Wary of PFAS Amid ‘Superstorm’ of Litigation, Regulation