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‘Forever chemicals’ are everywhere – here’s what you need to know about them

Whether you’ve heard of them before or not, “forever chemicals” are all around us. Stain-resistant carpets, non-stick pans, mascara and even some food packaging all contain these chemicals. But while these products can be very useful to us, the chemicals they contain have a darker side. Research has shown that they’re linked to health problems, including cancer. And one recent study even suggested that in utero exposure to forever chemicals can affect a man’s sperm count and quality later in life.

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 EPA’s Designation of PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances: Far Reaching Implications but not Enough to Combat “Forever Chemicals.”

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulation (Rule)[1] classifying perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous chemicals is a step in the right direction and will have significant implications for a wide range of industries. However, these “forever chemicals” are now found in people, wildlife, rain and even the arctic air and snow. EPA waited too long to regulate Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the Rule cannot combat the environmental impact of these chemicals. The Rule is also too narrow in scope. In order to reduce human and environmental exposure to PFAS, EPA should regulate not just PFOS and PFOA but treat and regulate all PFAS as a single class .

 “They Poisoned the World”: The Corporate Cover-Up & Fightback Against PFAS, “Forever Chemicals”

OK. So, PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are a large family of substances that have some pretty remarkable properties. They’re extremely resistant to heat, stains, water, grease, electrical currents. They stand up to chemicals that are so corrosive they burn through most other materials. And this has made them extremely useful. So, they helped usher in the aerospace travel and high-speed computing. They’ve transformed thousands of everyday items, from cookware to dental floss to kitty litter. On the other hand, they are probably the most insidious pollutants in all of human history. So, we are talking about a class of chemicals that do not break down in the environment; in fact, they persist for hundreds, thousands or even millions of years. Those that have been studied are highly toxic even in the most minuscule doses. And they are literally polluting the entire planet, including human blood and ecosystems in the remotest parts of the world.

Articles of Interest

PFAS are everywhere—and the EPA has a new plan to fight back

Ever-present 'forever chemicals' linger in our environment, as well as our bodies, and have been linked to serious harm.

PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are widespread and threaten human health – here’s a strategy for protecting the public

But over time, evidence has slowly built that some commonly used PFAS are toxic and may cause cancer. It took 50 years to understand that the happy accident of Teflon’s discovery was, in fact, a train wreck.

Teflon and Your Home

Health Entertainment Network explores the world of non stick pans.

A Crisis of Confidence in America’s Tap Water

The chemical industry has said that the more than 600 PFAS in use today are essential for manufacturing products like cellphones and medical devices and that the chemicals have different qualities and shouldn’t be regulated together. “What we should be focused on is, where are materials getting into the environment and are they at levels that might be unsafe,” said Robert Simon, a vice president with the American Chemistry Council.

Forever chemicals found at unprecedented levels in marine animals

PFAS presence across many species signals deep ecological concern. The chemicals can disrupt immune function, hormone balance and reproductive health in marine mammals. Concerns extend to human communities due to shared biological pathways. Marine mammals act as early warning indicators, revealing shifts in ocean quality long before surface level effects become clear.

How 3M Discovered, Then Concealed, the Dangers of Forever Chemicals

The company found its own toxic compounds in human blood—and kept selling them.

Is Your Drinking Water Contaminated with Toxic Non-stick Chemicals?

PFOA and PFOS are just two members of this large family of chemicals, which do not break down in the environment. They’ve spread to the farthest reaches of Earth, are in virtually every American’s blood and can be passed from mother to child in the womb and in breast milk. PFOA and PFOS have been phased out in the United States, but scientists have raised concerns that the new chemicals that replaced them may be no safer.

NonStick Pans - Are You Cooking Healthy Food in a Toxic Pan?

Fried foods sticking to the cookware were the bane of the kitchen worker. In the 1950's, cooking was revolutionized with the introduction of Teflon - non-stick pots and pans coated with PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE), a synthetic fluorocarbon. Nowadays it seems that most people can't cook without their nonstick pans.

Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS

Scientists are ramping up research on the possible health effects of a large group of common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products.

Scientists Think This Oddball Organism Could Help Take the 'Forever' Out of Forever Chemicals

A new study analyzes a bacterium that has developed a “taste” for PFAS, and is capable of breaking down a highly persistent chemical known as PFOS. Scientists are now working on ways to speed up the bacteria’s ability to accomplish this much-needed remediation.

The race to destroy the toxic ‘forever chemicals’ polluting our world

As countries work to ban more and more PFAS, focus is shifting to how to remove the ones already out there

WTF Are Forever Chemicals?

The technical name for these chemicals is “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” or PFAS. PFAS are a broad class of around 5,000 different synthetic chemicals that various industries have used widely since the 1940s, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Like, really widely.

A Teflon chemical contaminating the drinking water of millions may soon be banned

The group of UN experts—the review committee of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants—made the recommendation to globally ban both PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid, an ingredient in Teflon, the chemical used to make non-stick cookware, as well as waterproofed clothing and other products) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate, often used as a firefighting foam, especially at airports and on military bases). The sole exception for PFOS would be for use in implantable medical devices, and would expire in five years.

America's Next Water Contamination Crisis May Already Be Here

The family of chemicals called PFAS have been used in everything from carpeting to fast food wrappers. They also may have contaminated America's water.

At least 12 military bases contaminating water supply with toxic PFAS

Dangerous levels of toxic PFAS are contaminating water supplies in areas around at least 12 military bases, new Department of Defense testing has revealed, drawing concern from public health advocates that the DoD is not doing enough to protect the public.

Breaking Down Toxic PFAS

Though regulators have been aware of the PFAS crisis for some time, the federal EPA’s plan to address PFAS contamination falls far short of what is needed to protect communities.

Concern Grows Over Tainted Drinking Water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t declared PFOA harmful to humans, but it has raised concerns about the safety of the chemical in drinking water.

Get the Facts: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)

PFCs are a class of chemicals used to repel oil and water from clothing, carpeting, furniture, food packaging, and non-stick surfaces on cookware. These likely human carcinogens are known to contaminate our products, food, and water.

How chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19

Research has shown that people who are exposed to EDCs are more likely than others to develop metabolic disorders, such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, and they tend to have poorer cardiovascular health. EDCs can also interfere with normal immune system function, which plays a critical role in fighting off infection.

How Safe Is Your Cookware?

Exposure to PFOA primarily comes from consumer products, but can also stem from environmental contamination and bioaccumulation, especially in marine animals. Many people who live in areas of high PFOA contamination, especially near facilities manufacturing PFOA products, have shown an alarmingly elevated body burden of PFOA.

New York Town Discovers a Possibly Toxic Problem

The findings in Cohoes, N.Y., are adding to concerns that ‘forever chemicals’ contribute to air pollution

People Are Still Exposed To the Teflon Chemical At Unsafe Levels, Group Says

Are we going to find out in 50 years or in less time that these alternatives, the new generation of PFCs, are just as dangerous?” Walker asks. “It just seems like just a real egregious failure of the law.”

PFAS: A Long Lasting Legacy

PFAS are a group of toxic chemicals found across the globe. They have permeated into the environment, our food chain and are estimated to be found within 90% of the global population. They are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down easily and are therefore likely to leave a long lasting legacy within our environment. PFAS (Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances) represent a group of approximately 12,000 chemicals that are used for their indestructible and non-stick properties. These same properties mean they are highly persistent and mobile. As a result they are shown to bioaccumulate (build up in concentration especially up the food chain) in organisms.

PFCs From Food Wrappers Could Reduce Effectiveness of Vaccines

PFCs, found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers, popcorn bags, certain clothing, and more, have been tied to a lower level of antibodies in kids.

PFCs, Manufacturing Chemical, Could Affect Women’s Thyroid Functioning

“Although some PFCs such as PFOS have been phased out of production by major manufacturers, these endocrine-disrupting chemicals remain a concern because they linger in the body for extended periods,” study researcher Dr. Chien-Yu Lin, M.D., Ph.D., of En Chu Kong Hospital, said in a statement. “Too little information is available about the possible long-term effects these chemicals could have on human health.”

PFOA / PFOS

PFOS and PFOA were phased out in 2002 and 2015, respectively, but they are still present in the environment and will likely remain in the environment for many years to come.

Reining in the Chemical Industry’s Deadly Deceptions

Over decades, DuPont continued to market dangerous products made with PFOA — and continued to dump PFOA-laden waste, not only on the farm but also in areas that ultimately poisoned the drinking water for 70,000 people. Products with PFOAs were worth $1 billion in annual profits to DuPont, until the company finally agreed to stop producing the chemical in 2013. Today, DuPont has spun off its chemical business, which now operates as a “new” independent company called Chemours.

Scared about ‘forever chemicals’ after watching Dark Waters? Here’s what you need to know.

Many manufacturers have stopped using PFOA—but they’ve switched to other chemicals that could be just as bad.

Scientists Destroyed 95% of Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Just 45 Minutes, Study Reports

Now, scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), have presented ”a promising platform to treat PFAS-contaminated drinking water sources” that uses hydrogen and UV-light to obliterate some of these chemicals, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters.

Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS

Scientists are ramping up research on the possible health effects of a large group of common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products. In short, they are all around us. And as a result, they've found their way into the soil and, especially in some regions, into our drinking water.

Takeaway food packaging may be source of synthetic chemicals in blood

People who eat home-cooked meals have lower levels of potentially harmful chemicals in their blood. Tools used to package and prepare restaurant and takeaway meals may be to blame. PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a widely used group of chemicals that are resistant to heat and don’t easily degrade. Because of this, they are used in non-stick cookware, stain-resistant or water-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams.

The Chemical Marketplace: PFOA

As is the case of so many other halogenated organic compounds, the remarkable stability of PFOAs is also its curse. As best as we can tell, once PFOA enters the environment, it never breaks down. Consequently, PFOA is ubiquitous [pdf] throughout the environment — on every continent, in the ocean, in fresh water systems, and in the bodies of animals around the globe. It’s even a common component of household dust.

The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare

Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career — and expose a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution.

The same ‘forever chemicals’ that coat your frying pan are in your makeup. Should you be worried?

You may want to investigate what's in your waterproof makeup.

We should be cautious, but not concerned: there’s little evidence PFAS exposure harms our health

Yes, PFAS might have been picked up in a few new places. But the latest evidence suggests the levels at which we’re exposed are very unlikely to affect our health.

What France’s ban on forever chemicals means for fashion

PFAS are used to give clothing technical properties, but the chemicals wreak havoc on the environment and our health.

What We Need to Know About PFOAs

Although fluorochemicals are eventually excreted from humans, they are not metabolized in our bodies, and do not break down in the environment; studies have found concentrations of fluorochemicals in natural ecosystems worldwide.

Why EPA’s long-awaited proposal on two ‘forever chemicals’ is bound to be controversial

PFAS manufacturers obscured what they knew about the compounds’ dangers for decades, even as they dumped it into landfills and waterways, leaving the EPA and communities scrambling to catch up.

You probably have “forever chemicals” in your body. Here’s what that means

Right now, you likely have something unnatural lurking inside your body. It was made by a large corporation and could potentially harm you. That something is called PFAS.

‘Forever chemicals’ are hiding in your kitchen. Here’s where—and what you can do

Nonstick pans. Pizza boxes. Even food itself. It’s impossible to avoid PFAS and BPA entirely, but experts have tips on how to limit your exposure.

‘Forever chemicals’ have made their way to farms. For now, levels in your food are low – but there’s no time to waste

They stop your food from sticking to the pan. They prevent stains in clothes and carpets. They help firefighting foam to extinguish fires. But the very thing that makes “forever chemicals” so useful also makes them dangerous.

‘Forever Chemicals’ In Your Drinking Water, It Is Worse Than Previously Thought

Nothing lasts forever. Except for perhaps that drunk text that you sent and PFAS in your drinking water.

Resources

5 Things You Need to Know About PFOA/PFOS Chemicals

There’s a lot of talk these days about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals that most notably include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). More stories are emerging about these chemicals contaminating U.S. water supplies, and mounting evidence suggests that exposure to them can have adverse health effects.

Make Them Pay

Reports suggest the makers of these chemicals, 3M and DuPont (now Chemours), had sufficient information decades ago to know that certain PFAS were harmful. Yet they continued to make them and put them on the market to pollute us and our communities. The magnitude of the toxic legacy we face is still unknown – new contamination is uncovered in communities almost weekly. But it’s clear the costs to deal with this mess will be enormous- probably billions of dollars. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for this nonstick nightmare. It is time for the makers of these chemicals to pay up! Let’s Make Them Pay!

Stop the POPS

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), sometimes known as “forever chemicals” are a group of toxic chemicals that can survive for long periods of time in the environment. They can be found in households, workplaces, agricultural products and even the very food we eat. It’s time to protect yourself and “Stop the POPs” today!

The Forever Pollution Project

In 2023, the Forever Pollution Project, a pioneering cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration, brought together journalists and experts to reveal and map, for the first time, the extent of PFAS contamination across Europe. In January 2025, the Forever Lobbying Project exposes the lobbying and disinformation campaign orchestrated by the chemical and plastic lobbies to prevent the ban of these “forever chemicals” in the European Union. Fighting to keep their “chemical business as usual” with misleading, scaremongering arguments, polluting industries are shifting the burden of environmental contamination onto society, threatening the economic stability of European nations.

Dark Waters

An attorney whose firm defends chemical companies jeopardizes his career to expose a toxic waste-dumping scheme in this drama based on a true story.

Dark Waters

An attorney whose firm defends chemical companies jeopardizes his career to expose a toxic waste-dumping scheme in this drama based on a true story.

EPA

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects.