How PFAS were cleverly rebranded as ‘forever chemicals’

By Kristin Toussaint | Fast Company | March 17, 2023

Read the full article by Kristin Toussaint (Fast Company)

"Forever chemicals are everywhere. They’re in our nonstick pans, our makeup, our clothing. They’re in our drinking water and our soil and even our bodies. They’ve been around for decades, and they’re not going away anytime soon.

The term “forever chemicals” is now everywhere too: in news headlines, in statements from members of Congress, on websites for nearly every environmental group—from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to Toxic-Free Future—and in press releases from the Environmental Protection Agency. That term hasn’t been around as long as the chemicals themselves, but it’s gained popularity in recent years, and it has helped make clear to the public what risk these chemicals pose, and why they’re worth paying attention to.

Forever chemicals refers to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS, a class of synthetic chemicals used since about the 1940s in consumer products. They have unique properties that impart benefits, such as stain- or water-resistance, due to the strong carbon-fluorine bond in their makeup. That strong bond, though, means these chemicals don’t really degrade. PFAS will stick around for thousands of years, polluting the environment and our bodies; exposure to PFAS has been linked to increased risk of cancer, decreased fertility, developmental delays, and more. And this class of chemicals isn’t small—there are more than 12,000 kinds of PFAS."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.