What are PFAS? 'Forever chemicals' are common and dangerous.

By Daryl Austin | USA Today | May 2, 2024

Read the full article by Daryl Austin (USA Today)

"PFAS have been making headlines again this month after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced newly established regulations limiting the amount of these toxic chemicals that can be used in or around municipal water sources. It's a move that environmental scientists have been seeking for decades, but is just one of many they say are still needed.

"The general public shouldn’t be responsible for removing their PFAS exposure as the chemicals were released into the environment by chemical companies in the first place," says Dr. Erin Haynes, a professor of preventive medicine and environmental health at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health. Instead, she says the burden to protect citizens from PFAS exposure rests on companies and on government oversight and regulation.

What are PFAS?

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, collectively known as PFAS, consist of more than 12,000 man-made chemical compounds that are "used in a broad array of consumer products," explains Susie Dai, PhD, an environmental scientist at Texas A&M University. "