Forever Chemicals

News: Studies from 2003 to 2021 show that older PFAS (i.e. forever chemicals) levels fell by 86%, but new replacement chemicals 9Cl-PF3ONS are now common in people’s blood, raising concerns about unknown health risks.

About Forever Chemicals

• Forever Chemicals refer to a large chemical family of thousands of highly persistent man-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
• Properties: PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms.
  • The carbon-fluorine bond is extremely strong, making these chemicals highly resistant to environmental degradation, which is why they are known as “forever chemicals.
  • They are resistant to water, oil, heat, or staining.
• Sources: PFAS are used in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, cosmetics, and also found in household dusts and contaminated water near industrial sites. 
  • Other sources: They are used in  Aerosol propellants, solvents, pesticides, surface treatments for textiles, leather, masonry, and paper, as well as in paints, plastics, lubricants and fire-fighting foams.
• Exposure: People are mainly exposed to these chemicals through drinking or eating contaminated water and food, using products that contain PFAS, and inhaling air polluted with PFAS.
• Health Threats: They have a wide range of health risks in both human and animal including cancer (kidney and testicular), hormone disruption, liver and thyroid problems, immune system suppression, reproductive harm, and abnormal fetal development.
  • They are also negatively impacting marine life around the globe.
• Regulation: PFAS are regulated under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
  • Three main PFAS groups currently listed are:  PFOS and related substances, PFOA and related substances and PFHxS and related substances.