00:04Polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly called PFAS chemicals, are a problem because
00:08they're what are also referred to as forever chemicals.
00:11They stick around in our air and in our water, and they're known to cause a myriad of potential
00:15health issues including cancer.
00:17But now scientists may have found a way to get rid of them.
00:20The team of scientists from the University of California Riverside have developed a way
00:23to destroy the chemicals in water using only UV light and hydrogen gas.
00:27They say it's the most sustainable way to remove PFAS chemicals aside from preventing
00:32their creation in the first place.
00:33The whole process starts by infusing the contaminated water with hydrogen gas, ionizing the water.
00:38This process works to weaken the chemical bonds that make polyfluoroalkyl substances so resilient.
00:44They then hit the water with short wavelength UV, speeding up the process by which the PFAS
00:48chemicals fall apart.
00:50And this method made 95% of the PFAS chemicals disappear in just 45 minutes, with 97% having
00:56broken down after longer periods.
00:58Still, we need that number to get up to 100%, as even small amounts of PFAS chemicals can
01:03be dangerous to our health.
01:05Now go on to 50%, as a good performance.
01:09So go ahead, get your results.
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