Your PFAS questions answered by Professor Rainer Lohmann

By Technology Networks | Leo Bear-McGuinness speaking with Rainer Lohmann, PhD | July 11, 2025

Read the full article by Leo Bear-McGuinness speaking with Rainer Lohmann, PhD (Technology Networks)

"Five years ago, few would have heard of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Even the chemicals’ more pronounceable acronym, PFAS, would have been unrecognizable to most.
But now, thanks to some canny rebranding and growing outcry, forever chemicals – as they’re often called these days – are increasingly recognized as a serious threat to human health and the environment.
The compounds were first mass-produced in the mid-20^th century as waterproofing agents for commercial products like pans, packaging and raincoats.
Academic research of the chemicals only began to build in the 1990s, however, due to decades of gatekeeping and lobbying from the chemicals’ two prime producers, 3M and Dupont."