Read the full article by Elise Cutts (Atmos)
“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, aren’t called ‘forever chemicals’ for nothing. This diverse group of some 10,000 chemicals is among the longest-lived compounds ever devised. Most familiar as nonstick coatings in consumer products, PFAS linger for centuries in the environment—and years in our bodies. Some are toxic. Certain PFAS increase cancer risk, blunt vaccine response, meddle with hormones, and raise cholesterol, according to the EPA.
‘PFAS are in your blood, and PFAS are in my blood, in everybody’s blood. In my opinion, we are in a PFAS crisis worldwide,’ said environmental chemist Dr. Chiel Jonker of Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
There’s currently no practical way to destroy PFAS on a large scale, said Jonker. However, small-scale lab studies have revealed several ways of un-forevering forever chemicals. Now, researchers have found yet another method—and, for the first time, showed that it’s possible to reclaim the fluorine contained in PFAS in a useful form. The researchers tested the method on 27 different PFAS, including some of the hardest to degrade, and claim it should work for all classes of forever chemicals. The results were published March 26 in the journal Nature.” …