In the 1930s and 40s, the world was embracing technological revolutions, the very first programmable computers, the beginning of aviation, the start of television broadcasting, and a new class of super chemicals that promised to solve all of our household problems.
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, were originally designed for military use and then marketed to the public for their incredible heat resistance, strength, and ability to repel grease and water.
Over 10,000 different man-made variations, which are extremely resistant to biodegradation, quietly infiltrated into everyday household items.
You can find these PFAS chemicals in seemingly innocuous items in every room of your home. In the kitchen, they are used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, pizza boxes, popcorn bags, seafood products, dairy, and even tap water.
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Support independent eco journalism that drives real change.The story is the same in the bathroom, where they can be found in makeup, shampoo, toilet paper, cleaning products, dental floss, and nail polish.
The chemicals are used in some textiles, including furniture, carpets, rugs, and other stain-resistant fabrics. Other places you can find them are in waterproof clothing, paint, and even your phone.
In fact, PFAS chemicals are now so prevalent in our environment that they have been found everywhere from Mount Everest to the deepest oceans.
If PFAS Is So Dangerous, Then Why Is It Everywhere?
The answer is simple: money and convenience. The global market value for PFAS in 2023 was $14.3 billion; it is projected to reach $20 billion by 2029.
Companies became aware of the serious risks of PFAS in the 1960s, but it was hidden from the public until the late 1990s. Various lawsuits helped expose the truth, but by then the damage was already done.
PFAS are known as forever chemicals because of their unrivalled resistance to degradation. Their resistance to water and just about everything else means they have found their way into our water sources, soils, air, and food.
What is their greatest strength has become their greatest weakness.
Brad Hoylman, Manhattan Borough President
“ PFAS are a cancer-causing class of chemical that does not belong anywhere near our children and families..... convenience should never overshadow safety .”
Revelations have been alarming. The CDC estimates that it is in the blood of 97% of the U.S. population and is present in about 75% of urban tap water samples.
A similar picture has emerged in Europe, where over 17,000 contaminated sites and about 2,300 hotspots with extremely hazardous concentrations have been discovered.
Health costs in the EU due to PFAS exposure range from €52 to €84 billion annually.
It has been found to cause immune dysfunction, increased risk of cancer, various reproductive implications, immune system repression, higher risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and developmental issues in children.
As they take decades to break down in the environment, there has been a significant accumulation, posing a disastrous risk to ecosystems and public health.
The effects are most severe for those living in close proximity to manufacturing plants, military bases, airports, and landfills. In these areas, the water, soil, and air are more highly contaminated.
Recent global studies found that 69% of groundwater samples contain the chemicals, and even more worryingly, with no known contamination sources.
How One Farmer Changed Everything
In 1999, Wilbur Earl Tennant filed the first-ever lawsuit against chemical company DuPont. After watching more than 100 of his cows suffering from unexplained health issues and cruel deaths, Tennant began to suspect contamination of the water supply, which ran downstream of a landfill site.
This unlined landfill was the site where DuPont dumped over 7,000 tonnes of PFOA sludge in the late 1980s. Concerns about its toxicity prompted them to test the local creek water, which showed extremely high levels of PFOA.
Rather than informing Tennant, they insisted on blaming his cattle's health complications on his own poor management and husbandry.
Once it became apparent that the chemicals were entering the public water supply of the entire Mid-Ohio Valley, Tennant found himself supported by 70,000 members of the community.
His one-man fight against a multibillion-dollar company turned into a massive class-action lawsuit that has laid the foundation for thousands of other cases to this day.
The events inspired the movie ‘Dark Waters’ and various other documentaries, bringing the issue of PFAS to the global stage. He used the large settlement figure to fund the C8 Science Panel, which works to connect PFOA to diseases.
As of early 2026, U.S. chemical companies, including 3M, DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva, have paid approximately $14 billion in total settlements to resolve litigation over PFAS contamination.
The Divorce Papers Are In
As the toxic legacy of PFAS was kept hidden for decades, progress on regulating its use has been significantly delayed - but things are changing.
In the EU, governments are working to restrict PFAS as a group, covering all 10,000 substances with a goal of a near-total ban. In 2026, PFAS were banned in food packaging, and a new limit was placed on drinking water.
In 2026, the UK government in 2026 launched a plan to map, restrict, and manage PFAS. It involves phased restrictions, which will begin in 2027 on all non-essential products.
They plan to introduce a drinking water limit in the near future, ban firefighting foams, and impose stricter regulations on industrial emissions.
Historically, the EPA has taken steps to improve drinking water standards, but under the administration of Trump, these limits have actually been loosened.
Recently, they have even permitted the new use of certain PFAS in pesticides. The U.S. is compromising public health and water safety to reduce regulatory burdens on industries and continue lining their pockets.
In general, a slow shift towards regulation and bans is emerging. Despite intense industry lobbying, the EU has taken a proactive approach, but the global response overall is slow and wholly inadequate.
How To Reduce Our Exposure To PFAS
Not only must we stop adding to the PFAS pollution burden, but we must also tackle the existing accumulation of it in our environment.
As individuals, we can reduce our exposure in the following ways:
- Install a water filter which uses activated carbon or reverse osmosis.
- Contact your local water supplier to find out when their last testing was and for a copy of the results.
- Replace traditional non-stick cookware with cast iron, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic.
- Avoid eating anything that came in grease-resistant packaging, such as fast-food wrappers, pizza boxes, and microwave popcorn.
- Store leftovers in glass or metal containers, not plastic ones.
- Avoid carpets, furniture, and clothes treated with stain-resistant sprays.
- Check for labels which say PFAS-free or PFC-free.
- Steer clear of cosmetics, toiletries, and dental floss that list PTFE or perfluoro in their ingredients.
- Support organisations and local action groups which are pushing for stricter regulations on PFAS.
- Contact your local politicians to demand stronger restrictions on PFAS in products and on industrial pollution.
What Is Next For PFAS?
Chemical pollution has officially passed the safe limit for humanity. Strict universal regulation and demanding accountability from polluters are the only paths forward to protect current and future generations.
Chemical-by-chemical regulation of a group which contains over 10,000 substances is futile. All PFAS must be banned through blanket legislation to achieve a prompt, effective solution to this dangerous problem.
Any other response will take decades and leave one harmful chemical to be replaced by another.
The multi-billion-dollar PFAS industry has orchestrated a well-funded and short-sighted lobbying campaign to prevent further regulation and avoid a trillion-dollar clean-up bill. A phenomenon which has amplified as more countries consider sweeping bans.
What they fail to consider is that the cost of inaction is far higher.
We must move away from landfills and incineration and towards investment in destruction technologies that can break down the carbon-fluorine bond.
Contaminated sewage sludge must be treated to prevent further soil contamination.
By reducing human and animal exposure to PFAS, we can begin to slowly reduce the impacts, but this approach only works if we prevent further contamination and stop the influx of new PFAS at the source.
Mark Ruffalo -
" We’re facing a ‘forever chemicals’ crisis... at the cost of our health, our environment, and the lives of our loved ones ."
