PFAS

Written By Anna Dimling

Issue

PFAS atom 3D art Oxygen Fluorine Hydrogen Carbon And Sulfur
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Chemical Structure 3D Art

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) Chemical Structure 3D Art

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)

The term Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) classifies a large group of synthetic chemicals that have multiple fluorine atoms (highly reactive halogen element) on an alkyl chain (chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms). There are specific PFAS chemicals, such as Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOA), that have been studied more closely due to their wide-use in consumer products and high-levels in the environment. In 1938 DuPont invented Teflon®, or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and spurred the use of fluoropolymer coatings in various products to resist heat, oil, stains, and water. Since these favorable qualities were discovered with PTFE, many companies have manufactured thousands of different types of PFAS chemicals to use in various consumer products. The issue with PFAS is that they are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals (which have spurred the name “Forever Chemicals”) with known negative health effects, including fertility issues, hormone disruption, and cancer. This means they do not break down in the environment or human body, and instead accumulate or increase. A 2019 Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Report found that 98% of Americans have some amount of PFAS in their blood and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) continues to assess PFAS and its affects on human health.

Solutions

The important thing about PFAS is to focus on the route of exposure, so it is best to start with things you ingest (food and drink).

  • Test your water for PFAS or check local levels for your water source online and purchase a water filter that removes PFAS effectively

    • The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also has a PFAS Contamination Map

    • Note if you live close to a military base, PFAs levels may be significantly higher due to the long-time routine use of fire-fighting foam. ATSDR selected 10 U.S. exposure assessment sites based on higher levels of PFAS for longer periods (commonly around military bases) (ATSDR, 2024)

    • You can have someone test your water or send samples to a lab yourself. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection provides more detailed information on this process (MassDEP, 2025).

    • Purchase a filter that removes PFAS from your water. Note that all filters are not the same, and many filters do not target PFAS. There are also a lot of scams in water filtration. Ensure that the water filter you purchase (whether countertop or inline with your sink) that it has been third-party verified (NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58).

  • Ensure what you cook with is PFAS-free

    • Stainless steel and cast iron are the safest bet when it comes to PFAS

    • Ceramic cookware can simulate non-stick properties without using PFAS

    • Other cooking equipment (e.g., air fryers) may contain PFAS coatings

    • Any non-stick cookware will likely have PFAS in it (even if it says PFOA- and/or PFOS-free). There are several brands use PTFE (Teflon) as the non-stick coating including the popular Gordon Ramsey’s HexClad pots and pans.

  • Be mindful of any surface touching food or liquid at high temperatures

    • Take out containers with hot food and transfer to bowl when you get home. Some take out places will fill your own containers with the food, especially helpful if you are trying to go zero waste.

    • Do not microwave or heat foot in plastic (this includes plastic-lined products like popcorn bags)

    • Grease-resistant paper products, so basically most paper plates, bags, and wraps that are used for food may be coated with a non-stick coating containing PFAS.

    • Use glass containers to store food in fridge

    • For pregnant woman, purchase glass breast milk containers

  • Avoid foods high in PFAS and eat a varied diet

    • This one is hard to avoid completely, but generally seafood has been seen to have the highest levels. This greatly depends on the food product so there is no exact rule of thumb here.

    • Many peer-reviewed studies and independent testing has been done of various food products, however, there is not one central website, database, or app that can show you this information.

Many people discuss other products, such as clothes, that contain PFAS. This is also good to limit where you can, however, you should try to tackle the 4 above first, because ingesting PFAS has a higher rate of absorption into the body, than clothes or the dust in your house. In general, you can look for PFAS-free on household items. We believe that this distinction on consumer products will become more and more common.

Bottom Line

PFAS can feel like an overwhelming issue to tackle, because it is impossible to avoid PFAS. Remember to focus on the personal steps listed in the solutions, and not to get too discouraged when you hear news of “forever chemicals” being found in the environment, products, or people’s bodies. This is a large contamination concern and public health issue that is currently being tackled by regulatory authorities, accountable companies and should not be the burden of individual consumers. However, the public’s knowledge of how expansive this issue is can greatly pressure the government and large corporations to make changes more rapidly. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend watching The Devil We Know documentary or Dark Waters film.

Details

What is considered a PFAS chemical?

There is not one standard list of PFAS chemicals that is being studied by government agencies, scientific organizations, and other regulatory authorities. Therefore, we are still trying to define and collect information on these thousands of chemicals. There are some lists of PFAS chemicals online that are publicly available here:

As you can see this is no simple task to regulate and define a group of over 10,000 chemicals. So what do we know about specific studied PFAS chemicals?

Why are some PFAS harmful?

Like most chemical research, a subset of the chemicals are closely studied to determine health effects and environmental concerns. These chemicals are typically chosen because they are the more widely used and known chemicals. However, chemicals with similar structures and compositions can be assumed to have similar health effects and environmental concerns, and government authorities can make bans on a whole group of chemicals based on the research of that subset. That being said some of the most commonly studied and tested PFAS chemicals (e.g., drinking water testing, human blood samples, in vivo studies) include the following:

  1. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOA)

  2. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)

  3. Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)

  4. Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)

  5. Methylperfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)

  6. Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)

  7. Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)

  8. Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS)

There are also concerns with other PFAS chemicals that are commonly used in products, including…

  • PTFE (known as Teflon) - At elevated temperatures PTFE can release harmful fumes and if inhaled can cause flu-like symptoms, also known as the “Teflon Flu” in recent news. While PFOA has been banned from the manufacturing process to create PTFE, there are questions about the production of PTFE and if all manufacturers follow this practice (Correia, et. al, 2023).

Fry Pan Art

Why do so many products contain PFAS?

There are many different applications for this class of chemicals in consumer products. Since PFAS chemicals have properties of water, oil, stain, and heat resistance, they are commonly included in coatings or within the products themselves to impart these desirable qualities. Here are some consumer products that are known to contain PFAS:

  • Non-Stick cookware and cooking equipment (air fryers, non-stick pans);

  • Food packaging (grease resistant paper, fast food containers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, candy wrappers, food can lining);

  • Paper and cardboard products (toilet paper, paper towels, cardboard packaging);

  • Cleaning products (waxes, polishes, glass cleaners, dishwashing rinse aids),

  • Paints and coatings (varnishes, sealants, adhesives);

  • Textiles and clothing (carpeting, leggings, tents, coats);

  • Electronics (semiconductors, circuit boards, wires);

  • Medical products (pacemakers, stents, joint replacements);

  • Building materials (glass, roofing, composite wood products); and

  • Personal care products (shampoo, nail polish, tampons, dental floss, eye make-up).

Progress

Many government agencies, non-profit environment organizations, and other authorities have made positive progress to address the PFAS contamination and restrict the use of PFAS chemicals. Some major milestones to note are:

  • Since 2021, the U.S. EPA has made PFAS a focus for various regulations and offices which has resulted in the following:

  • The FDA announced in 2024 that PFAS-containing grease-proofing agents for food packaging will no longer be sold in the U.S. While this reduces packaging being coated PFAS coatings, it is not the same as banning food packaging containing grease-proofing coatings. Packaging with grease-proofing agents can still be used and sold in the U.S. (FDA, 2024).

  • Some states in the U.S. have taken action against PFAS:

    • Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Vermont have banned the manufacture and sale of food packaging with intentionally added PFAS.

    • California and New York have banned the sale of new textiles containing PFAS as of January 1, 2025.

    • Several states have banned or restricted PFAS in firefighting foam, including Alaska, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. 

  • Europe has also taken several stands against PFAS chemical uses including:

    • In 2020, Denmark became the first and only country to ban PFAS from food contact materials like paper and cardboard. Denmark also plans to ban PFAS in clothing, shoes, and waterproofing agents for consumers starting July 1, 2026 as well as regulating PFAS in firefighting foam concentrates (GPC, 2024).

    • The French National Assembly proposed a draft law proposes to prohibit the use of PFAS in cosmetics, waxes, and textile clothing products starting in 2026 and proposes to prohibit the use of PFAS in all textile products by 2030. Due to industry lobbying, this bill does not include cookware (Chemistry World, 2025).

    • The European Commission has taken several steps including banning of PFHxA for certain uses and are considering restrictions for the entire group of PFAS chemicals, known as the Universal PFAS Restriction Proposal (ECHA, 2025).

Questions

How can the government and other authorities prevent companies from using potentially equally harmful replacement PFAS chemicals?

One of the major contributors to this issue of PFAS, Dupont and their spin-off The Chemours Company (Chemours), have produced PFAS since the 1930s. In the 1970s scientists at DuPont and their competitor 3M determined that certain PFAS were toxic and accumulated in the blood. After many PFOA lawsuits, fines, and regulations, Dupont and Chemours produced a shorter-chain PFAS chemical with similar properties to PFOA called by the trade name GenX or the chemical name hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA). It is common for companies to find a “replacement chemical” which is similar to a toxic chemical bound for stricter regulation or ban. This way they can continue operations with minimal changes to the downstream products and consumers. The problem with replacement chemicals is that they often have the same or similar negative health and environmental effects. In the case of GenX, studies have now shown negative effects to the liver and blood and cancer of the liver, pancreas, and testicles, as well as the same bioaccumulation in the environment found with other PFAS chemicals (which is similar or worse to the toxicity of PFOA). After polluting North Carolina’s Cape Fear River (a drinking water supply for 500,000 people) with GenX, Dupont and Chemours they were required to pay $13 million in penalties and investigative costs. While they are still able to produce and sell GenX, there are more restrictions on their waste streams containing GenX. Without an all encompassing restriction or ban on PFAS chemicals, these replacement chemical issues will continue to resurface.

What chemicals can safely replace PFAS in various consumer products?

PFOA and PFOS were used for so long due to their desirable properties and inexpensive production. Finding a cost-effective replacement with similar properties and minimal human health or environmental concerns is key. This research can take a long time, but it will be lucrative to find a more sustainable and less toxic replacements to impart the same water, oil, stain, and heat resistance properties in the variety of products listed above. Many companies have already developed formulations with various PFAS-free alternatives like wax, silicone, cellulose, and other materials.

References

ATSDR. (2024, November). Final Report: Findings Across Ten Exposure Assessment Sites. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/final-report/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/activities/assessments/final-report.html#cdc_report_pub_study_section_2-why-these-sites-were-selected

ACS. (2024, May). PFOA, PFOS, and Related PFAS Chemicals. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html

Chemistry World. (2025, February). French parliament approves ban on PFAS in cosmetics, clothing and ski wax. Maria Burke for Chemistry World. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/french-parliament-approves-ban-on-pfas-in-cosmetics-clothing-and-ski-wax/4021068.article

Correia, et. al. (2023, August). Polymer Fume Fever. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594276/

ECHA. (2025). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). European Chemicals Agency. Accessed on March 4, 2025 at: https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/perfluoroalkyl-chemicals-pfas

FDA. (2024). FDA Announces PFAS Used in Grease-Proofing Agents for Food Packaging No Longer Being Sold in the U.S. https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-announces-pfas-used-grease-proofing-agents-food-packaging-no-longer-being-sold-us

GPC. (2024, December). Denmark Proposes to Ban PFAS in Clothing Footwear and Waterproofing Agents by 2026. Global Product Compliance (GPC). Grouphttps://gpcgateway.com/common/news_details/MTgxMQ/Mw/RXVyb3Bl

U.S. EPA. (2022, August). Navigation Panel to PFAS Structure Lists. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical-lists/PFASSTRUCT

U.S. EPA. (2023, October). Changes to TRI Reporting Requirements for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and to Supplier Notifications for Chemicals of Special Concern. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/changes-tri-reporting-requirements-and-polyfluoroalkyl. (U.S. EPA, 2023a)

U.S. EPA. (2023). PFAS Analytic Tools. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://awsedap.epa.gov/public/extensions/PFAS_Tools/PFAS_Tools.html. (U.S. EPA, 2023b)

U.S. EPA. (2024, March). PFAS Chemicals without explicit structures. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical-lists/PFASDEV. (U.S. EPA, 2024a).

U.S. EPA. (2024, April). Toxic Substances Control Act Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Section 8(a)(7) Rule List of Chemicals (Version 3). United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical-lists/PFAS8a7v3. (U.S. EPA, 2024b).

U.S. EPA. (2024, April). Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Critical Rule to Clean up PFAS Contamination to Protect Public Health. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-critical-rule-clean-pfas-contamination-protect. (U.S. EPA, 2024c).

U.S. EPA. (2024, June). Final PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas. (U.S. EPA, 2024d).

U.S. EPA. (2024, April). Proposal to List Nine Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Hazardous Constituents. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/hw/proposal-list-nine-and-polyfluoroalkyl-compounds-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act. (U.S. EPA, 2024e).

U.S. EPA. (2024, May). TSCA Section 8(a)(7) Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-section-8a7-reporting-and-recordkeeping. (U.S. EPA, 2024f).

MassDEP. (2025). PFAS in Private Well Drinking Water Supplies FAQ. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed on March 1, 2025 at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pfas-in-private-well-drinking-water-supplies-faq

Anna Dimling