In 1938, chemists at DuPont discovered a chemical that would change the world forever. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly known as Teflon, was introduced to the world in the 1950s in the form of nonstick cookware. With marketing slogans such as “There are better things in life than being married to a sink,” and “Choose a pan like you choose a man. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” DuPont’s pans were immediately popularized among housewives.
Since its introduction to the consumer market, companies have been using teflon and similar chemicals/substances to make products waterproof, stain-resistant and to enhance durability. These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are now widely used and can be found in cosmetics, food wrappers, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (firefighting foam), textiles and electronics. They were even used in the Manhattan Project.
Though 3M and DuPont conducted research on PFAS, and by the 1970s had found evidence that these substances posed major health risks to those who consumed them, this research was kept from the public. After concerns began to rise about health impacts of PFAS exposure in the early 2000s, the federal government began urging companies to voluntarily phase-out the use of PFAS in their products.
However, companies continued to use these substances and now PFAS have contaminated both public and private water supplies. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, forever chemicals can be found “in the blood of nearly the entire population in developed countries, with health effects reported globally.”
PFAS make their way into waterways and blood through everyday products, with some people facing more exposure than others through food that is packaged with PFAS or produced in PFAS contaminated environments, inhalation of dust from stain-resistant textiles, and through cosmetics and personal care products. Children are especially susceptible to the harm caused by PFAS because they are still developing. Infants can be exposed through drinking formula made with water containing PFAS or breastmilk from a woman who has been exposed to PFAS. Fetuses can also be exposed to PFAS during pregnancy through the umbilical cord.
These substances became widely popularized for commercial use because they are durable, but the strong carbon-fluorine bond also keeps them from breaking down in the environment and the human body. According to University of North Georgia Associate Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry, Rahul Shahni, “the structure of PFAS is similar to lipids in our human body,” and because the brain is 60% lipids, some PFAS can bypass the blood-brain barrier and leech into the brain. Shahni also noted that high PFAS exposure is linked to high cholesterol due to their unique structure. For example, Shahni highlighted the importance of contaminated drinking water in beer production, and to the people who it is distributed to. One study from 2025 found PFAS in 95% of the beers they tested, some of which were produced in areas with high PFAS levels, and then shipped across the country.
Forever chemicals impact not just humans, but animals and wildlife around the planet as well. The US Department of Agriculture offers support programs like the Dairy Indemnity Payment Program, in which “Dairy producers are now eligible to receive a payment for loss of dairy cows because of contamination, including from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).” Additionally, the National Wildlife Federation states that PFAS “are linked to tumors in animals, lower reproductive success in birds, and liver, kidney and immunological effects in laboratory animals.” Exposure to these chemicals can be especially detrimental to threatened and endangered species, which already face difficulties with population growth.
“It is very important to understand not only the state of our environment, but also what it will look like in not even 20 years.” – Alyssa Simpson, UNG Research Senior, Biology
According to EcoWatch, one forever chemical “hot spot” in the US is Northwest Georgia. Dalton is the “Carpet Capitol of the World,” and with PFAS being used heavily in the manufacturing of stain-resistant carpets, the residents of the area began holding the carpet industry responsible through litigation in 2024. PFAS Georgia continues to advocate for the justice of those harmed by PFAS and has partnered with famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich.
In Nov. 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its Strategic Roadmap to fight PFAS contamination “by following the science, leveraging all available tools and authorities, holding polluters accountable, and investing historic resources to protect communities.” Credible sources like the EPA, Centers of Disease Control and the National Institute of Health Sciences are frequently publishing new resources for those who are concerned about forever chemical exposure in their own lives.
Ultimately, people can use high-end water filters or limit their exposure to products with high PFAS levels, but these chemicals came about due to a demand for convenience. Stain-resistant carpets and nonstick pans are inherently unnatural, but even the alternative chemicals are harmful. In common economic rule, demand drives supply, and we do not currently have a clean alternative to forever chemicals that will yield the same results.
