PFAS: impacts on health and the environment

Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances are chemicals that have been widely used in industry since the 1940s, for their water-, grease- and dirt-repellent properties, as well as their chemical and thermal stability. These chemical substances are difficult to degrade; they are found in many everyday consumer items, such as ski wax, frying pan coatings, dental floss, camping tents, or even in the foam used to extinguish fires.