Have you ever experienced that phenomenon when you buy a new car, then see the same make and model everywhere? Well, by the time you finish reading this article, you might experience something similar but altogether more unsettling.
The truth is that we're surrounded by products and other items in our homes and in our day-to-day lives that contain 'forever chemicals' – substances we've come to rely on but which are polluting our planet and could be making us ill. And once you know they're there, it's hard to ignore them.
Here's what you should know about forever chemicals, the products you didn't know they're lurking in – and how to minimise your exposure.
What are forever chemicals?
When we talk about forever chemicals, we’re referring to a family of thousands of chemicals that are widely used in the products we use every day due to their ability to repel oil, grease, water and stains and because they are extremely heat resistant. They’re known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS.
The fact that many PFAS break down so slowly (some would take thousands of years to degrade completely) has earned them the nickname ‘forever chemicals’.
Why are forever chemicals a problem?
The properties of PFAS mean that they play a vital role in producing many useful things we rely on and which keep us safe – they’re used in firefighting foam and in the protective gear that firefighters use, for example. However, PFAS are now so widely used that they’re building up in the environment, in the air and soil, in the dust in our homes, in our food and drinking water – even in our bodies.
The Forever Pollution Project, which was set up to track PFAS in the environment, has identified almost 23,000 locations that are contaminated by forever chemicals across Europe. Even closer to home, analysis by the Royal Society of Chemistry shows that over a third of rivers and other water courses in England and Wales contain levels of PFAS that are considered medium to high risk. Samples from the Thames were found to contain the highest concentrations of forever chemicals.
“PFAS have polluted every corner of our planet," explains Dr Shubhi Sharma at CHEM Trust, a charity that works to protect humans and wildlife from harmful chemicals. "They can be found in our seas, rivers, soil and food, and have even been found in very remote locations like the Arctic and the Amazon. Once in the environment, they remain there for generations and can impact the health of wildlife."
How can forever chemicals affect our health?
It’s not good news… exposure to high levels of PFAS over time has been linked to health problems including thyroid disease and high cholesterol, liver damage, kidney and testicular cancer and lower birth weight in babies.
"Studies have found PFAS in people’s blood and hair, in organs such as the liver, and even in the placenta. This is troubling because the more we learn about the harmful properties of PFAS, the more concerned we become," Dr Sharma adds. "The Government must take action to address the use of these chemicals as a group, to ensure wildlife and our health are protected."
While it’s been known for a while that PFAS could enter the body by being breathed in, or swallowed with food or drink, a study earlier this year found for the first time that a wide range of PFAS can breach the skin barrier and reach the body’s bloodstream.
What are forever chemicals found in?
Limiting your exposure to PFAS is easier said than done. Forever chemicals are present in a massive range of products and packaging we come into contact with daily. You'll find them in some:
Paper and cardboard food packaging including some takeaway containers and pizza boxes
Non-stick cookware, such as pans and bakeware
Household textiles, where they’re used in stain proofing coatings for mattresses and carpets
Clothing, including waterproof outdoor clothing, swimsuits and t-shirts
Cosmetics, from hair conditioner to certain makeup products and sunscreen
Electronic devices such as smartphones, where they’re used in the coatings that make our phones more scratch-resistant and easier to clean.
Are forever chemicals found in tap water?
PFAS can be filtered out of our drinking water supply, and water companies in the UK are legally obliged to do so when the concentration of PFAS in our drinking water reaches a certain level. Until recently, though, water companies only had to filter PFAS out of our drinking water once the level was considered ‘high risk’.
Last year, the Royal Society of Chemistry successfully launched a campaign calling on the government to set new, lower limits on the levels of PFAS that are allowed in drinking water – thanks to their work, a new cap comes into play from January 2025. “The updated limits are a significant new safeguard for public health that is more comprehensive than drinking water limits in both the European Union and Scotland," commented Stephanie Metzger, Royal Society of Chemistry policy advisor.
Minimizing your risk
Some level of exposure to forever chemicals is inevitable in the UK – but there are steps you can take to minimise this.
- Reduce your exposure to any packaging in contact with food. This means take away containers, and greaseproof or plastic food packaging which may contain PFAS.
- Avoid non-stick cookware. Be particularly wary of non-stick pans you’ve had for years, which might have scratches, chips or other signs of damage.
- Know what’s touching your skin. You might think about avoiding waterproof or stain-proof fabrics that don’t advertise themselves as PFAS-free. Make-up and hair products might also contain PFAS, and check period products too; opt for products that advertise as organic and PFAS-free, or check online for your preferred brand.
- Vacuum and wipe surfaces regularly – PFAS can build up in household dust. And check cleaning products for PFAS, too – look on the packaging to see if the brand is PFAS-free, or check online.
- Wash your hands before eating – we should all be doing this anyway; avoiding ingesting PFAS is another reason to add to the list.
Visit pfasfree.org.uk for products made without the addition of forever chemicals.
