In the last couple years, millions of people across the country have learned their drinking water contains high levels of the contaminants known as perfluorochemicals. These are used to make non-stick products like Teflon and pizza boxes.
For those with illnesses that are linked to the contaminant, that knowledge can be helpful — and incredibly frustrating.
Sitting on her porch, Marianne Sylvester’s face looked healthy. But she said her face looked different before she got Graves Disease about 10 years ago. At the time, it all seemed like bad luck -- really, really bad luck.
“One side effect of graves is Thyroid Eye disease, and it causes your eyes to bulge out,” she said. “And so I lost all self confidence. You can’t look someone in the eye when your eyes are. You feel hideous.”
