Wellspring Issue #110 by The Wellspring

APRIL 2025 // NISSAN 5785 // ISSUE 110

Letting the Ego Go Permanent Eradication of Chametz

The Unheard Heart A Diabetic's Story of Silent Symptoms

More or Less: Juice We Give You the Full Squeeze

Cup of Tea Malka Arons, M.S. Ed On Forest Bathing and More

FOUR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON PESACH FOUR QUESTIONS, YOUR ANSWERS

Rejection and Projection Vichna Belsky, BS, CLC Responds

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WELLSPRING MAGAZINE APRIL 2025 | NISSAN 5785

| ISSUE #110

THE UNHEARD HEART By Mattie Steinberg She was educated on the subject, yet unaware of the silent storm in her heart. A lifelong diabetic, she knew the risks, yet missed the symptoms. She shares her experience—a story of Divine grace, as a cautionary tale for others.

CUP OF TEA WITH MALKA ARONS By Devorah Levitz Malka Arons, M.S. Ed., introduces us to shinrin-yoku, a.k.a. forest bathing, an opportunity for our brain to sigh in relief as it steps away from the spotlight, and to simply be present with something that asks absolutely nothing of us. Malka explains how in that quiet space, the brain finds peace and happiness.

MIND AND YOU Wellspring Staff Brain games aren't just fun; they're vital for brain health. Discover how, like hikers forging trails in a forest, these games build and strengthen neural pathways, in a process called neuroplasticity. This month, Wellspring introduces Futoshiki, a wonderful game that can, be’ezras Hashem, help stave off cognitive decline.

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WELL INFORMED 18 Springboard 24 Spiritual Eating 26 Torah Wellspring 32 Health News

LIVING WELL

WELLBEING

40 Feature

48 Cover Feature

82 Seasonal Stumpers

54 Sleep Smarts

84 Well Answered

56 More or Less

86 Marriage Secrets

58 Second Opinion

88 Wallet Wellness

60 Community

90 Mind and You

62 Fitness

EAT WELL

64 Cup of Tea

Editor In Chief Tziri Hershkovitz Deputy Editor Libby Silberman Feature Editors Vichna Belsky, Devorah Levitz Copy Editors Gitti Feldinger, Meira Lawrence

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FAREWELL

74 Gut Reaction

114 Holistic

Nutrition Contributors Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT, Shani Taub, CDC

Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC, Esther Fried, PFC Health Advisory Board Dr. Chayala Englard, Chaya Tilla Brachfeld, RN

70 Medical Saga

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EDITORIAL

Editorial Contributors Rabbi Yehoshua Belsky LMSW, Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein, Baruch Niebloom, Rabbanit Orit Esther Riter

FOOD & CONTENT Food Editor Aviva Emek Recipe Creators Yossi & Malky Levine Food Styling Malky Levine

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The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Wellspring Magazine Inc. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part or in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space and editorial sensitivities. The Wellspring Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content or kashrus of advertisements in the publication, nor for the content of books that are referred to or excerpted herein. The contents of The Wellspring Magazine, such as text, graphics and other material (content) are intended for educational purposes only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

often find our hishtadlus laced with a sense of resignation. Who knows how much longer until our efforts bear fruit? Even though this wait is interminable, we must never lose our faith and never doubt our imminent redemption.

“Are you ready?” The Yom Tov of Pesach seems to inspire the question more than any of the other important dates on our calendar. Considering that preparations like cooking, wardrobe shopping, ironing, and even general cleaning, are really not that different from other Yomim Tovim, what is it about Pesach that has us feeling so pressured? I’ll put it to you that besides ridding our homes of chametz, the Yom Tov isn’t very different at all. Granted— ridding our homes of chametz can be quite the ordeal! Now imagine those areas in your home—where you don't cook food or eat meals— were kept free of chametz throughout the year. Or, at the very least, that you started the Hakol Beseder chametz-cleaning schedule two months before. In those scenarios, preparing for the actual Yom Tov would be a few-day ordeal—at most. Being ready is always wise, and it’s infinitely easier when we know our deadline. When the date isn’t staring us so clearly in the face, we sometimes lose sight of the goal and our motivation wanes. And this is where I’ll veer off into a more meaningful direction. Because although there are goals and deadlines in everyday life, some have greater significance than others. There is the ultimate goal and deadline we are all waiting for. And though we know the true purpose of our other endeavors ought to be to bring this deadline closer, we too

platform, waiting for his mother. “How did you know I would come?” his bewildered mother asked. “Az du Mama hut gezugt az zu vet kumen, hub ich gevust az zu vet kumen,” Yankele explained plainly. “If Mother said she’ll come, I knew she’d come.”

I heard a beautiful story from the indomitable Mrs. Miriam Swerdlov. She told of a family in a small forsaken town in Russia, where the father had passed away and the mother was raising her sons on her own. With no Jewish education to speak of, the poor mother knew her children were but a few years from looking like their uncouth and uneducated neighbors. When a meshulach passing through the town offered to take her two young bachurim to a yeshivah, the widow jumped at the opportunity. Fully aware she might never see them again, she said, “Endersh keinmul mehr zein, uber a Yid zol men zein—I’d rather never see them again, if it means they’ll remain a Yid.”

In her inimitable style, Mrs. Miriam Swerdlow finished her story with poignant words: “If we would all wait for Mashiach the way Yankele waited for Mama, Mashiach would long be here!”

Two years later, the meshulach was back, and this time the mother sent along her 13-year-old. A short while later she saw the man again and begged him to take her youngest son, nine-year-old Yankele.

Although there doesn't seem to be one definitive reason for the grand name for our Shabbos, there is a beautiful pshat that really spoke to me. On Shabbos Hagadol we read the haftarah that discusses Eliyahu HaNavi’s heralding of Mashiach’s arrival. The connection is obvious.

She tried to remain stoic as Yankele cried bitterly at their parting. “Du Mama vet kumen,” she assured him. She didn’t have enough fare for her own ticket. Still, she tearfully gave her son her word. For a few years she scrimped and saved, buying nothing more than the absolute necessities needed to survive, until finally, she was able to procure a seat on the next train. The train pulled into the big city station, as it always did, in the early evening hours. And there was Yankele on the

(As a postscript, she also shared that today, Reb Yankel has generations of ehrliche doros in Toronto, bli ayin hara. And we recognize what a mother’s sacrifice can accomplish…) We're approaching the great Shabbos, Shabbos Hagadol. The meaning behind the other specially named Shabbosim are self-evident and also have lots of beautiful interpretations attached. What is so great about this Shabbos for it to have earned the most prestigious title of any Shabbos in our calendar?

Shabbos Hagadol was the final Shabbos in galus Mitzrayim. It was great then, and it is still great today, as the haftarah reminds us; in fact, it may well be the final Shabbos of our current galus. On Pesach, Eliyahu HaNavi will grace every Jewish home. It is an auspicious time, as he’s already made the trek and is prepared to make the announcement. Are we ready?

tz i v o k h s r e H i r i Tz

tziri@wellspringmagazine.com

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SPRINGBOARD

Not Feeling Like a Failure Issue #108: The Midnight Money Trap Thank you for your wonderful magazine, and especially for the relatable and beautifully written Wallet Wellness column, by Baruch Niebloom. I appreciate the way Mr. Niebloom is focused on everyday reality. His common sense approach makes me feel like I can actually be in control. I admire the way he addresses relatable issues without making the reader feel like they've failed. The Wallet Wellness series brings encouragement into the life of financial stress. Each time I read his column I have the same reassuring realization: despite the financial hardships I find myself in, I can come through it. Managing our finances is something we all need to learn and grow in. It’s normal to struggle, it’s healthy to learn, and be’ezras Hashem, we are going to be okay. I've noticed Mr. Niebloom’s nonjudgemental style repeatedly, but was especially impressed by The Midnight Trap, where he explained my propensity for overspending late at night. There was no judgment in his tone. I came away understanding the behav-

ior without feeling like a failure. And with an actionable plan going forward! The topic is so important to discuss and is absolutely related to our mental wellbeing. I want to express my thanks to Mr. Niebloom and tell him what a huge mitzvah he is doing by helping people in this respect. C. Berger, Brooklyn, New York

Information for the Family Issue #108: Bone of Contention I’d like to thank the writers and editors at Wellspring for another stellar issue. The medical story about the little boy with knee pain was incredibly informative—and even graphic—but it didn’t scare me. I make this point because I think it’s important to address medical issues and for the public to read about them, so they know what they must—but without undue anxiety. I’ve noticed this about Wellspring, in general. I appreciate that the articles inform the reader, without

causing hysteria. The information is related for education and not sensation. Reading frum magazines should be inspirational and uplifting—especially since the magazines are predominantly read on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Instead of getting the adrenaline racing, or anxiety induced by stories that scare, upset, or anger the reader, I find myself nodding and smiling, and best of all—thinking! I so look forward to my Wellspring every month. I believe it should be encouraged reading in every home, since Wellspring is the only magazine of its kind which is filled with everything relevant to Yiddishe life—and nothing that isn’t. Hatzlachah on your holy work, Malka Lebovic, Woodbury, New York

Thriving Through Thrush Issue #109: Quick Question I am writing about the question Miriam Schweid addressed, regarding the cracked nipples of the nursing mother, and the Nystatin

GET IN TOUCH Wellspring invites readers to submit letters and comments via email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

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Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinion of the letter writer and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

SPRINGBOARD

Quick Question Question: My allergies have been acting up; my eyes are watery and I’ve been sneezing more often than usual. The weather has been slow to warm up and I don’t even feel spring in the air, so why am I feeling this way and what can I do to help my situation? For context, I am nursing a baby and would appreciate a recommendation that is safe for both me and the baby.

Answer: We are finally having lovely, warmer weather and starting to see tiny buds on the trees—especially in the morning after a rainfall. As the day wears on, the buds will continue to develop into leaves or flowers. Although rain can temporarily reduce airborne pollen by washing it down, the relief for allergy sufferers is short-lived, at best. The “April showers” also break down pollen clumps and increase pollen exposure, potentially worsening allergies. In addition to the weather, if you’ve been busy with Pesach cleaning and are dusting corners you haven’t tackled in months, those dust mites might aggravate your allergies as well. Recommended remedies include supplements that contain vitamin C and quercetin. If you are nursing a baby, do not take Panto C, as in addition to clearing nasal passages and drying up secretion, pantothenic acid may dry up your milk. Allium cepa and pulsatilla are homeopathic remedies for seasonal allergies, both of which are readily available and very effective and safe for allergies. If you feel very congested, Sinus Clear is a good idea as well. For more practical tips: Staying hydrated will alleviate allergy symptoms by keeping your nasal passages moist. Keeping your windows closed, especially on windy days, will minimize your pollen exposure. Your COVID masks might finally come in handy: use them while working on dusty spaces or when using strong detergents. Wishing you an easy, breezy spring season. Miriam Schweid, Health Consultant

doctors often recommend. She is correct in saying that most doctors will recommend washing it off so that the baby should not ingest it. Indeed they would; Nystatin is a strong drug and not entirely safe for little ones. She failed to mention that washing off the cream is by itself an excruciating experience. I was further surprised that vitamin E oil wasn’t recommended. This natural oil, known for healing skin, is soothing for the mom, and perfectly safe— even healthy—for the baby. In my experience (although it has been many years since I nursed my youngest), nipple shields are helpful for cracked nipples in general, but

WELLSPRING / APRIL 2025

especially necessary when the baby has thrush, as that can be transferred to the mother, which is inordinately painful too. I’ve guided my children, and now grandchildren, through their experience, and the information is so important. There is no need to suffer in silence when there are safe and effective options available.

Yehudis Ginsberg, Lakewood, New Jersey

Hashem’s Creations Issue #108: Holistic Emotional Health I always begin reading the magazine with Tziri Hershkovitz’s Editor’s Note. Her insights are a refreshing breath of fresh air. Every page of the magazine is rich with insights and information, and reading through it slowly, is not unlike enjoying a delectable piece of chocolate. Holistic, the final compilation at the end of the magazine, is always food for thought. This month, Tziri Hershkovitz so vividly brings to our attention the importance of being proud of our

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Tziri’s article reminds us of the need to have complete trust in Hashem, to realize that He alone is perfect, and He runs the world with perfect precision. Accepting that, instead of working so hard to be someone we aren’t, is the secret to happiness. Devora Feiger, Monsey, New York

Still in Stitches Issue #109: Laughter; It’s Not a Joke Thank you for the many laughs in the Purim issue. I found myself chuckling quite a few times while reading the magazine, and after reading about the health benefits from laughter, I was actually glad for it! I always knew laughter was nice and fun, but was very surprised to learn that it is so good for us. I heard a beautiful vort from Reb Yankel Miller, that the reason we are mesame’ach chassan and kallah is not entirely for their happiness. They are (hopefully) already in the happiest week of their lives. The reason for the comedy at the chasunah (and sheva brochos) is to give them the zechus of making other Yidden, who may be going through hard times, laugh on their big day. May we all be zocheh to laugh with only joy in our hearts.

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SPIRITUAL EATING

By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

Where’s the Freedom?

The Shelah Hakadosh teaches that the mitzvah to enjoy special delicacies on Shabbos and Yom Tov should not contradict our obligation to keep our bodies healthy and therefore avoid overeating. Pesach presents perhaps one of the most challenging tests we face in this regard. Some of us will abandon our homes for hotels to partake in one of the Jewish community’s largest industries—the Pesach retreat. The resources devoted to kashrus, Torah personalities, and daily entertainment at these hotels is often paralleled by the surplus and sophistication of non-stop food being offered: “Elegant, gourmet cuisine. Buffets and lavish Viennese tables. Scrumptious 24-hour tearoom.” These advertisements have become part and parcel of our lingo. However, at this zeman cheiruseinu, time of our freedom, we need to honestly ask ourselves whether we are fulfilling the mitzvah of experiencing freedom or whether we are enslaved to our desires—incapable of stopping at reasonable

amounts in the face of such a spread? Doesn’t the emphasis on excess run completely contrary to one of the primary lessons of Pesach? The simplicity of matzah teaches us to reduce our focus on physical desires, understanding that we are a spiritual people, birthed from open miracles and rooted in a unique relationship with the Creator of the Universe. We are unlike the other nations of the world, who sprint after their taivos and glorify gluttony. The Torah approach is antithetical to those activities. But can we objectively look at our eating behaviors—think tearoom at midnight—and say we are pursuing ruchniyus? Appropriate socializing with friends and family is a fine thing. But does it have to revolve around food? Pesach is a time of gratitude, says Rav Noach Orlowek, shlita. The Haggadah, he says, is a classic textbook for developing appreciation as we pinpoint detail after detail of the goodness

Can we objectively look at our eating behaviors— think tearoom at midnight— and say we are pursuing ruchniyus?

Hashem did for us, contrast slavery with freedom, and understand that the redemption was an unwarranted gift— dayeinu. A lack of appreciation, says Rav Orlowek, is a fundamental flaw in any relationship, especially with G-d. And improper eating habits that harm our bodies are no exception. Are we not engaging in an open contradiction if we fress on flanken while fulfilling ve’higadeta l’vincha (teaching our children)? Whether we are spending the holiday at home or going away, we still have the opportunity to properly prepare ourselves and focus on the directives Chazal provided to maximize this time of year. May we use this occasion to achieve true freedom from the challenges holding us back individually, as well as for Klal Yisrael. Maybe, just maybe, we can have a geshmak holiday without overindulging in kosher-for-Passover pizza, pancakes, bagels, or brownies. Give it a try—and experience true freedom.

Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, is the founder and director of Soveya and the author of the best-selling book Enough Is Enough—How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World, available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles and Judaica Plaza in Lakewood. He has worked with thousands of clients around the world and has maintained a 130-pound weight loss for the last 19 years. For more information about Soveya’s programs call 732-578-8800, email info@soveya.com, or visit www.soveya.com.

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TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi YY Rubinstein

You, Me…And a “Cast” of Thousands

There is a good chance that Jewish women reading the title of this Pesach column will smile when they read the word “cast.” Many who attended a Bais Yakov or other heimishe girls school will know exactly what it is referring to in that context. As girls, they may have worked hard to gain a part in a play that for many, was the high point of their year. They got to wear makeup, put on exotic costumes, and play a role in a story that drove home a Torah message to the audience. Jewish men will probably not share the same degree of familiarity with and recognition of the word “cast” in the same way. Yeshiva bochurim often do take part in plays, or more accurately, “shpiels,” but they tend to be a very different kind of production, and they happen at only one time of the year. That time, of course, is Purim, and as bochurim traditionally take the mitzvah of “ad de’lo yada” very seriously, there is a very good chance that neither the cast on stage nor the young men sitting in the audience retain any memory of what those shpiels were about or how well the performers played their parts. That is a pity. Performing a few times in a drama onstage is the perfect mashal for performing our roles in the dramas that happen to us in real life.

WELLSPRING / APRIL 2025

There are, of course, “oneman” shows, but these don’t generate the same interest as those in which the main character interacts with other performers. Hashem did tell Adam Harishon, after all, “It’s not good for a man to be alone.” The first thing that makes a show really interesting is the variety of different characters. You are likely to meet mothers and fathers, and the inevitable clichéd ones like shviggers and shvers, and scoundrels and saints. A good play will contain scenes of high drama and tragedy, with tears of sadness as well as tears of laughter. The better the script, the more vividly the actors will be able to bring it to life. And as any Bais Yaakov girl will recall from her school days, the better the performance of the other players, the better your own performance will be, and you may find yourself playing your part better than you

believed yourself capable of. Chazal say that every single drama Klal Yisrael has ever played a part in is based on the one in which we played our first leading role: yetzias Mitzrayim. The Producer and Writer of the story appointed the perfect director, who would also take the leading role.

Performing a few times in a drama onstage is the perfect mashal for performing our roles in the dramas that happen to us in real life.

There were many other parts, leaving room for every possible kind of player. There were roles for those who could take the part of Leviim and those who could be Kohanim. There were roles for Reuvenites and Shimonites and all the other different and distinct roles. Sadly, though, the rigors of work and the preparation required meant that fully fourfifths “skipped” the audition altogether. In yetzias Mitzrayim, there were parts played by mothers and fathers, as well as their children. Appearing too were scoundrels and saints, and there were countless “extras”

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mixed up with the cast, and even animals. As the “director” made clear, “With our young and our old we will go, with our sons and daughters and our flocks and cattle.” It was that varied cast, each playing a very different part, that would bring the whole point of the story to life and make it one worth telling. It was also the point with which we would struggle over and over again, as different versions of the original drama played out across the centuries and millennia. Rabbi Dessler writes about this in the first volume of Michtav Mi’Eliyahu, in an essay called “Digleh Hamidbar.” Each of the shevatim of Klal Yisrael had their own flag featuring a specific color and a symbol of the blessings that shevet had received from Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov knew that each of his sons had a role that was unique and different, and when each one played his part—a part that only he could play—that created Klal Yisrael and made them whole. Rabbi Dessler observes that Klal Yisrael was never meant to be one homogeneous nation. We were designed to be made from different parts. Each would work together to create something much bigger than any one part could ever create alone. The unity of the Jewish people would then be expressed when all 13 players—including the subdivision of Yosef into Efraim and Menasheh—combined together. The word in lashon hakodesh

WELLSPRING / APRIL 2025

for “one” is echad, the gematria of which is aleph (1), ches (8), and daled (4), which equals 13. Our oneness is meant to arrive through our differentness. Each time we have forgotten that message throughout Jewish history, the terrible part of the Mitzrayim story has repeated itself. The Second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because Yidden forgot that every Jew has a part to play without which we are incomplete. Sinas chinam kindled the flames that started a conflagration. The Aruch Hashulchan in his Haggadah Leil Shimurim points out that the first Beis Hamikdash also fell due to sinah between Jews—in this case, between the rabbanim, and that we only went to galus Mitzrayim in the first place because of the hatred between Yosef and his brothers. It is strange how soon we forget even the most dramatic times we have endured, even when we convince ourselves

It is strange how soon we forget even the most dramatic times we have endured, even when we convince ourselves that we will never forget them.

that we will never forget them or the lessons we learned from them. I now have to struggle to remember the world-stopping events of the COVID epidemic of only a few years ago. Many of us lost friends to this virus. We had to stay at home, wear masks, and practice social distancing. As I write these words, I recall a rebbetzin who called me from Yerushalayim to invite me to write part of a special Haggadah that was being produced. It was for the many elderly Yidden who, due to COVID, would be heartbreakingly alone for both Seder nights. This Haggadah was to let them know that they had not been forgotten or abandoned by Klal Yisrael. I also recall a friend telling me what happened to him when his shul was at last able to gather again for tefillah b’tzibbur after the COVID restrictions were lifted.

“Well, the only way he seemed to feel he could get everyone sitting around him to see the error of their ways was to pronounce the daled in echad when he said Shema, “ECHATHHHHH” at the top of his lungs, and it drove me nuts!” I could certainly see his point of view but then he added the following:

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We often have to go through terrible times, like a shibud Mitzrayim, churban haBayis, a global pandemic, or as now—the months of pain in which we hope and daven for the Yidden who were taken hostage by a foe more cruel than Pharaoh—to remember the essential message of yetzias Mitzrayim.

UK born, Rabbi YY Rubinstein learned in the famous Gateshead Yeshiva for ten years where he received semicha. He is an international speaker and the author of fourteen books. His latest, "Never Alone,” for teens and young adults who've lost a parent, arrived in bookstores this year.

The 600,000 Yidden: you, me, and a “cast” of thousands, all different, with our young and our old…our sons and daughters, playing different parts, but playing them together, echad…as one.

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“But when we were at last able to daven together after COVID, when we came to Shema and he shouted out as usual, “ECHATHHHHH,” my face lit up with delight! I realized I had actually been waiting and looking forward to this. It was like meeting a long-lost friend!”

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I was intrigued to learn about the Yemenite pronunciation as he continued.

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“He insisted that every Ashkenazi Yid—and most Sephardim too—pronounces lashon hakodesh wrong. He claimed that a daled should be pronounced as a “th” as in “this,” not a “d” as in “did.” He said that this is the way Yemenite Jews pronounce it, and that’s the correct way.”

Before

My friend conceded that almost everyone has a meshugas and cited one of his own before returning to his story.

After

He said, “I’m not proud to admit to you that there is someone who davened very near me who used to drive me mad because he always davened way too loud. But the real problem was that he had a meshugas.”

Head-turning is something.

WELLSPRING / APRIL 2025

Heart-stirring is everything. We don’t just get attention. We make people feel. With our work we strive to spark deeper resonance: a smile, a memory, a heartbeat. Because when people feel something, they don’t simply see it. They act. They share. They believe. They follow their heart.

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HEALTH NEWS

HEALTH NEWS ROUNDUP By Pnina Schoss

Brewed is Better Good news for tea lovers: That daily brew might be purifying the water, too. In a new study, Northwestern University Illinois researchers demonstrated that brewing tea naturally absorbs heavy metals like lead and cadmium, effectively filtering dangerous contaminants out of drinks. Heavy metal ions stick to the surface of the tea leaves, where they stay trapped until the used tea bag is disposed of. "For this study, our goal was to measure the tea's ability to absorb heavy metals. By quantifying this effect, our work highlights the unrecognized potential for tea consumption to passively contribute to reduced heavy metal exposure in populations worldwide," said Northwestern's Vinayak Dravid, the study's senior author. To conduct the study, the Northwestern team explored how different types of tea, tea bags and brewing methods affect heavy metal absorption. The various varieties tested included teas such as black, green, oolong, and white, as well as chamomile and rooibos teas. They also examined the differences between loose-leaf and commercially bagged tea. After steeping, the team measured how much of the metal content remained in the water. By comparing metal levels before and after adding the tea leaves, they were able to calculate how much was effectively removed.

Simple Solution To Break Down “Forever” Researchers have discovered a new method to remove so-called “forever chemicals” from drinking water. As previously mentioned in this column, PFAS are industrial chemicals used in the manufacturing of thousands of products. Studies have shown that exposure to PFAS may lead to decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and increased risk of some cancers. For roughly the past decade, researchers have been looking for ways to remove PFAS from the environment or at least degrade them into harmless compounds. Now, Feng Xiao, an associate professor in Mizzou’s College of Engineering in Missouri, and his team have found a simple solution using common tools and materials. Just heat the PFAS with granular activated carbon (GAC). GAC is composed of granules of coal, wood, or other carbon-rich materials that have been heated. It is already commonly used to filter a wide range of harmful chemicals from contaminated water or air. Consumers use it to clean household aquariums or filter drinking water, and it can be purchased online for just a few dollars per pound. In a paper recently published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, Xiao and his team describe how they heated PFAS with common GAC at 572 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, the researchers achieved 90 percent mineralization of the PFAS, breaking the forever chemicals down into a harmless compound.

WELLSPRING / APRIL 2025