{"id":5869,"date":"2023-06-30T09:04:23","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T14:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/?page_id=5869"},"modified":"2025-06-20T17:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T22:30:47","slug":"what-are-pfas-forever-chemicals-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/toxinfreeusa.org\/education\/what-are-pfas-forever-chemicals-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What are PFAS \u201cForever Chemicals\u201d and How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What are PFAS?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS is an acronym for a class of toxic man-made chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS contain chains of carbon and fluorine atoms, which together form one of the strongest bonds in nature. Because the bonds are so strong, PFAS don\u2019t break down easily, causing them to build up in the human body and the environment. Thus, they have come to be known as \u201cForever Chemicals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS chemicals have grown into a class of over 12,000 chemicals, which include older long-chain chemicals such as PFOA and PFOS, and newer chemicals made of short-chain bonds such as GenX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFOA and PFOS are two of the oldest and most studied PFAS chemicals and were phased out of production in the U.S. by 2015 due to concerns about health risks at ultra-low levels of exposure. However, they are still being used in production outside the U.S. and have become major contaminants in our environment and drinking water due to historical use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After years of inaction, on September 6, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally designated PFOA and PFOS as \u201chazardous substances\u201d under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CERCLA provides the federal government with statutory authority to investigate, monitor and respond to hazardous substances that have been released or are under threat of release, into the environment. CERCLA also provides an enforcement mechanism for the government and private entities to hold parties responsible for cleanup costs if they are found to be liable for the release of substances (a) specifically designated as hazardous substances under CERCLA or (b) determined to present an \u201cimminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an EPA press release: On March 14, 2023, EPA announced the proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six PFAS including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX chemicals), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). The proposed PFAS NPDWR does not require any actions until it is finalized. EPA anticipates finalizing the regulation by the end of 2023. If fully implemented, EPA expects that the rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of PFAS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first PFAS was accidentally invented in 1938 by DuPont chemists, who were conducting research to find new chemicals that could be used as refrigerants. They stumbled upon an unusual coating during their experimentation. Testing revealed that the new substance, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), was chemically very stable and had a remarkable ability to repel water and oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PTFE was soon used in the Manhattan Project during World War II because it could resist corrosion from fluorine in the gaseous diffusion process used to enrich uranium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After World War II, DuPont began successfully marketing this substance in a product called \u201cTeflon\u201d, which was and still is used to make cookware that is slick and non-stick, and for water and stain-resistant fabrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The DuPont Teflon factory in Parkersburg, West Virginia, dumped PFAS waste into the community\u2019s water for decades, even after knowing that its chemicals were toxic.<\/em>
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In 1952, 3M discovered its own PFAS chemical, PFOS, when its chemists were trying to develop a rubber that wouldn\u2019t deteriorate when exposed to jet fuel. During the experiments, some of the new substance was dropped on a laboratory assistant\u2019s tennis shoe. When the assistant tried to clean the substance from her shoe, she discovered that it was impervious to water and alcohol. 3M began marketing the new material in 1956 as \u201cScotchgard\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1961 3M Scotchgard ad that ran in LIFE magazine was going to be an exhibit in the state\u2019s lawsuit against 3M. Courtesy state of Minnesota.<\/em>
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Development of these chemicals increased after a deadly fire aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal, in 1967. The fire resulted from the accidental launch of a rocket that caused a blaze that nearly destroyed the ship, killing more than 130 people. Soon after this tragic accident, manufacturers and scientists developed PFAS-containing firefighting foam, or aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) \u2014 a foam mixture that rapidly extinguishes fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PFAS allows the foam mixture to spread, making it highly effective against petroleum fires and other flammable-liquid fires when mixed with water. PFAS-containing AFFF was then installed on military and civilian ships, airplanes, and airports. You may have heard radio commercials about mounting lawsuits by individuals exposed to AFFF, who later developed multiple types of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to the 21st century\u2026 Until recently, the PFAS chemical PTFE, used in manufacturing Teflon, was manufactured using PFOA. But since 2013, the Teflon brand has manufactured PTFE without PFOA due to the U.S. phase-out of PFOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GenX chemicals are now being used in place of PFOA for much PTFE production. So when you replace one toxic PFAS chemical for another toxic PFAS chemical, the end result is that nothing has really changed. No better. No safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the very sad part is that corporations will work to take advantage of consumers\u2019 lack of understanding of the complexities of this class of thousands of toxic chemicals. They will greenwash, mislead and try their best to trick consumers into thinking their products are safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you see something advertised as \u201cPFOA-free\u201d or \u201cPFOS-free\u201d, but not actually PFAS-free, know that it still likely contains other toxic PFAS chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS chemicals have been around for over 75 years and the number of applications continues to grow. We are exposed through the water we drink, the food we eat, the products we use, the clothing we wear, and the air we breathe. PFAS contamination of our bodies and the environment is now recognized as an urgent problem in need of solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the tide is beginning to turn. Mounting regulatory action on the state level and lawsuits have caused 3M to announce in December 2022<\/a> that the corporation would stop manufacturing PFAS by the end of 2025. 3M is named as a defendant in over 3,500 PFAS-related lawsuits, exposing it to 31 potential liabilities of up to $30 billion, according to<\/a> Bloomberg Law.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Health Risks of Exposure to PFAS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As previously stated, PFAS chemicals are considered dangerous at ultra-low levels. We often see Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for chemicals in drinking water set to parts-per-million (ppm), or even parts-per-billion (ppb). PFAS can cause harm in the parts-per-trillion (ppt). To visualize this, imagine one drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS are carcinogens and endocrine disruptors that are linked to a myriad of health harms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n