Read the full article by Adele Peters (Fast Company)
“PFAS, the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ found in nonstick pans, clothing, carpet, makeup, packaging, firefighting foam, and many other products, are ubiquitous in the environment: More than 2,800 locations across the U.S. are now contaminated. The chemicals may be in your drinking water, even if you’re drinking bottled water. They may also be in your blood. They’re linked to health issues, from reproductive problems to cancer; the EPA recently issued new drinking water advisories saying that even at low concentrations, the chemicals aren’t safe. Some companies are trying to eliminate them from products. But as the name ‘forever chemicals’ implies, the compounds don’t easily go away. How can we begin to clean them up?
The chemicals, a class of thousands of different compounds that have been mass-manufactured since the 1940s, have strong bonds between their carbon and fluorine molecules that mean they don’t easily break down in nature. PFAS waste is sometimes incinerated, but that can unintentionally spread contamination even further. But some companies are working on finding ways to remediate it.” …