Forever chemicals

AFP English

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.

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