Letter from Dana Shoenhard

Shoenhard: ‘We Didn’t Know’

We didn’t know, but that’s no excuse. When we bought the couch and carpets coated in Teflon to prevent staining, we didn’t know that Dow Chemical/DuPont had hidden the adverse effects on its pregnant workers since the 1960s. We didn’t know that tiny particles could flake off and enter your systems and become endocrine disruptors and cancer causers.

We didn’t know when we bought the pajamas coated in fire retardant (PFAS). We thought it was keeping you safe if our house caught fire, a ridiculous concern since we didn’t smoke.

We didn’t know that when we bought canned cheap foods, especially tomatoes, their acidity would allow the PFAS in the can lining to leach into the food that you would eat.

I continue to be amazed by our children’s resilience and fervently hope for our conquest of cancer. Look up the research published August 1, 2026 in “Scientific Reports” titled “Integrated computational and in vitro analysis reveals the toxic mechanisms of PFAS in female diminished ovarian reserve.”

The current administration has rolled back restrictions of PFAS in drinking water and stopped monitoring it in sewage that is spread as fertilizer. Elect people that are listening to real scientists or are scientists, not people that have teamed up with the chemical companies to continue to profit off of our lack of understanding.

I know this is only one facet of cancer of the breast, thyroid, uterus, and colon, and gender dysphoria, but it shouldn’t be overlooked.

Dana Shoenhard
Cooperstown