Forever chemicals
PFAS chemicals have been used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products since the 1950s. They pose a serious risk to human health. VIDEOGRAPHIC
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00:00Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAs, are a group comprising thousands
00:12of synthetic chemicals, which have been widely used in consumer and industrial products since
00:18the 1950s.
00:19They have caused global contamination of food and drinking water, posing a serious risk
00:24to human health.
00:25PFAs have a common chemical structure based on the carbon-fluorine bond, which is one
00:30of the strongest in organic chemistry.
00:32This makes these chemicals extremely resistant to water, heat and decomposition in the environment,
00:38hence the name forever chemicals.
00:40However, due to these useful characteristics, they have been used in a range of consumer
00:44and industrial products, including food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, waterproof
00:51clothing, firefighting foams, refrigerants and pesticides.
00:56These chemicals have been found around the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and
01:00have contaminated drinking water and food, including fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and
01:05eggs.
01:06They have also been found in human blood samples and are transferred to the fetus via the placenta
01:11and to the offspring via breast milk.
01:13Scientific studies have suggested that exposure to PFAs is associated with an increased rate
01:18of cancer, thyroid, liver and kidney disease, low birth weight and infertility.
01:26Replacements for PFAs in some products are being introduced, such as cosmetics and firefighting
01:32foams, while some governments have banned the production of certain PFAs.