Euronews Health compiled a list of five common items with PFAS or “forever chemicals”. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals”, are used across various industries, from electronics to aerospace. However, they have also found their way into everyday consumer products, raising public concern due to their harmful effects on people's health.
“PFAS are these man-made chemicals, they don't occur naturally, we have to make them in the lab,” Dr Shelley Liu, associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Euronews Health. “They are really useful because they have these water resistant, oil repellent, stain resistant properties, so you can imagine they have a lot of use across industry and also consumer products,” she added. These toxic chemicals can also be in water, soil, and air, increasing people’s exposure.
Recent research has identified the presence of nearly everywhere on Earth, and they have been found in tap water and increasingly in items like . “PFAS in general, they have this carbon fluorine bond that's very strong, so because of that they're really hard to break down,” Liu said. “Your body doesn't break it down and some of these PFAS chemicals can last in your body for years, maybe three to five years,” she added.
Avoiding exposure to these chemicals can be challenging as it using contaminated products and those containing these chemicals or even by breathing contaminated air. has also foun.