Forever Chemicals and Challenges to Drinking Water Systems

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals used for their unique repellant properties. Popularly labeled as “forever chemicals,” the first PFAS was discovered in 1938 and entered commercial use as a nonstick agent in Teflon. Today, more than 12,000 PFAS chemicals are known to exist, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) being the most widely used and studied compounds. PFAS compounds have found extensive applications in various consumer products—including cookware, food packaging, clothing, and makeup—because of their resistance to heat, water, and stains. PFAS are also used to make a fire-suppressing foam, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), intended for airport and military use, where hazardous, flammable-liquid fires may occur. These same characteristics have led to increasing concerns over the persistence of PFAS compounds in water and food sources with impacts on long-term health and environmental outcomes, with estimates suggesting that almost half of the tap water in the United States is contaminated with these chemicals (Smalling et al., 2023).