Scientists draw attention to a group of dangerous chemicals that accumulate in the body and can cause various negative effects on health.
Chemicals from photo drinking water: Archive
This is the group of perfluoroalchilate and polyfluoroalchilate substances (PFAS), also known as “eternal chemicals”, being extremely persistent in the environment and in the human body. They can cause health problems such as liver disorders, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility and cancer problems.
It is a group of large -scale synthetic chemicals that, over time, accumulate in the human body and in the environment. There are more than 10,000 such synthetic compounds, which are appreciated for their resistance to water, oil and spots, The Telegraph reports.
Developed for the first time in the 1930s both in Germany and in the United States, PFAS became widely marketed in the 1950s, when American Dupont used PFOA (perfluoroctanoic acid) to create Teflon, the first non -stick layer in the world. Their chemical structure – the binding of carbon with fluoride – makes them almost impossible to break down. As a result, they can persist in the environment for hundreds or even thousands of years, which has brought them the nickname of “eternal chemicals”.
And PFAS are now ubiquitous. These are found in soil, air, drinking water, rainwater and even in people’s blood.
Why should be avoided?
The use of the most hazardous chemicals PFAS, PFOA and PFOS (perfluoroctan-suponic acid), has been gradually eliminated in the United States, in the United Kingdom and in many other countries since the early 2000s, after studies have associated them with cancer, suppression of the immune system, thyroid disease, liver impairment and delay in children.
However, although they are not used in the manufacture of new products in the United Kingdom, these toxic and forbidden chemicals will never disappear from our environment. They exist in the water we drink and in the soil in which our food grows.
And some of the forbidden substances were replaced with newer chemicals, less harmful. It has not yet been shown that they cause health problems, but that does not mean that we should not worry.
“I’m still worried about them. We have forbidden the two chemicals we know best, but the replacement chemicals are very similar. They are only less understood, and their toxicity was not fully confirmed. This seems to be gap because we have not yet proven to be harmful, they are still allowed“, Stated Dr. Dave Megson, specialist in chemistry and environmental forensics at the Metropolitan University of Manchester, according to the quoted source.
He believes that they will be forbidden in time and “We are just waiting for the toxicological data to help us. We need time to demonstrate how harmful these new pfas are”.
The UK audit committee launched an official investigation, in May 2025, regarding the contamination and regulation with PFAS in the United Kingdom. They are worried that the evidence that they show that they harm human health are not taken seriously. The EU also made a proposal to restrict the manufacture, use and marketing of about 10,000 PFAS.
Currently, the United Kingdom has forbade several specific PFAS chemicals found in fire extinguishing foams, such as perfluoroctan sulphonate (PFOS), forbidden more than a decade, and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA), which will be forbidden since this year.
Give up plastic bottles and take a water filter
Although water companies are forced to dilute contaminated water with pure water or use an alternative source, PFAS substances continue to penetrate drinking water. PFAS were found in more than half of the drinking water samples in Scotland in 2023. PFAS were also found in bottled water and tap in the UK.
The Environment Agency has identified over 10,000 sites in England as having a high risk of PFAS contamination, many being associated with fire extinguishing foam containing PFAS, which is now prohibited.
Ian Cousins, a professor of organic environmental chemistry at the University of Stockholm, says that people should be particularly worried if they live near an industrial or military site that could have used fire extinguishing in the past.
“This is a very harmful pfas and you don’t want to be exposed to it. So, if you live in that area, I would consider testing my water and installing a water filter, ”says the teacher.
The most effective water filters to eliminate PFAS use reverse osmosis, active coal or ion exchange. Reverse osmosis systems can remove up to ninety -nine percent of PFAS, while active coal filters work well and if they are changed regularly.
Carpets – Hidden Source by Pfas
The carpets can be comfortable and warm under their feet, but more and more researchers express their concern about them as a source hidden by PFAS. These are often added to carpets to make them resistant to stains and water. Walking on them creates dust that can reach the height at which it is breathable.
A recent study conducted by Dr. Scott Bartell from the University of California – Irvine, found that people who were constantly presenting higher levels of PFAS in the blood than with empty floors. Thus, in his opinion, carpets are a significant and underestimated source of exposure.
Install an air filter
Oliver Jones, professor of chemistry at Rmit University in Melbourne, says “If you really want to reduce the exposure, you should start by analyzing where the biggest sources of PFAS are for people. Evidence suggests that this is the dust in the air“He recommends the installation of an air filter.
While a standard mechanical air filter, known as the HEPA filter, can capture the PFAS particles related to dust (such as those stuck to dust), a better choice would be an active carbon air filter. For better protection, a combination of active HEPA and carbon filtration is ideal.
Active coal works through the adsorption of chemicals at the molecular level, capturing many volatile PFAS compounds that would otherwise circulate freely in your home. However, not all air purifiers are created the same.
