Je ne sais PFAS

Gone forever chemicals

Forever chemicals have played an important part in modern manufacturing. They have a backstory that runs parallel to that of plastics, which I told in a previous article titled Addicted to Plastic. The category of chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has long been suspected to increase health and safety risks in humans and our environment.

If you don’t know the term PFAS, you may know their colloquial name, “forever chemicals”. PFAS are characterized by a strong chemical bond between carbon and fluorine, which repels and can withstand water, oil and most other solvents. The most commonly known chemicals of this category are Teflon and Scotchgard, though many other household names exist such as Gore-Tex. Perhaps someday through biochemical engineering, scientists may be able to develop an enzyme to break down these chemicals but for the time being, these chemical chains remain unbroken when they enter human bodies and the environment. They have contaminated the water supply in nearly 3000 sites across the United States alone.

PFAS is pervasive. Even fire extinguishing foam contains forever chemicals.

Since the 80s DuPont and 3M had seen evidence of health issues in their workers exposed to high amounts of PFAS, ranging from liver disease and cancer, to infertility, pregnancy complications and birth defects. However, the onus having been put on chemical companies to prove that their goods are toxic, has left a growing wake of turmoil. They are disincentivized to provide substantial studies, because reporting damaging findings would cut their earnings.

In fact, in the earliest studies conducted using Teflon on rats and monkeys in the 60s, DuPont already suspected that their product could pose health risks but manufacturing blazed on. The governing response has been too little, too late. With mounting evidence that we need to put an end to PFAS over decades, we have only recently seen a change in the tides. The trouble is that these chemicals serve a unique purpose and that there is not yet a suitable replacement for them.

Je ne sais pas, je ne sais plus. Je suis perdu. - Michel Fugain