PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.They’re a group of man-made chemicals used since the 1940s.
What makes them special is their carbon-fluorine (C–F) bond, one of the strongest bonds in chemistry. This makes PFAS:
Heat-resistant
Water-repellent
Grease-proof
Chemically stable
Because of these properties, PFAS are used in:
Non-stick cookware (Teflon)
Waterproof clothes
Firefighting foam
Food wrappers
Industrial coatings
🍳 Teflon and PFAS
Teflon is a brand name for a substance called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), which is a kind of PFAS.
PTFE itself is quite stable and inert at room temperature. But the problem isn’t just the Teflon pan. It’s the PFAS chemicals used to make it — like PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid), which is now banned in many places.
At high temperatures (above ~300°C), Teflon can break down, releasing toxic PFAS gases. That’s why overheating non-stick pans is dangerous, especially for birds and infants.
💧 PFAS in Drinking Water
PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they don’t break down in the environment.They leach into soil and contaminate groundwater, especially near:
Factories
Airports (due to firefighting foams)
Military bases
Once in water, PFAS can travel long distances and accumulate over time.Normal water filters often can’t remove them because of their stability and tiny size.
People drinking PFAS-contaminated water get continuous low-dose exposure, which can lead to bioaccumulation — where PFAS build up in the body over time.
🧬 How PFAS Affect the Human Body
PFAS don’t just “pass through” your system. They bind to proteins in your blood, especially albumin, and move throughout the body.
They are not stored in fat, like many other toxins, but circulate in the blood and can reach major organs.
At the molecular level, PFAS can:
Interfere with hormone receptors (endocrine disruptors)
Affect gene expression
Disrupt cell membranes
Inhibit immune cell function
Increase oxidative stress
These actions lead to long-term physiological changes.
🧠 Health Problems Linked to PFAS Exposure
Even at low concentrations, long-term PFAS exposure has been scientifically linked to:
Kidney cancer
Testicular cancer
Liver damage
Thyroid dysfunction
High cholesterol
Low birth weight
Weakened immune system (less vaccine effectiveness)
Hormonal imbalance (especially estrogen/testosterone disruption)
Studies show PFAS are especially dangerous for pregnant women and developing babies, as PFAS can cross the placenta and are found in breast milk.
🧪 Detection and Regulation
PFAS can be measured in parts per trillion (ppt) — that’s like one drop in an Olympic swimming pool. Some countries now set legal limits for PFAS in drinking water as low as 4 ppt. But even at these levels, health risks remain.
Detection is usually done through liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) — a very sensitive method.
🚫 Can We Remove PFAS?
Not easily. PFAS are resistant to:
Heat
Biological breakdown
Chemical treatment
Standard water treatment doesn’t work. But special methods like:
Activated carbon
Ion exchange resins
Reverse osmosis
…can reduce PFAS levels, though they are expensive and hard to apply on large scales.
Scientists are also working on PFAS-destroying enzymes, supercritical water oxidation, and plasma-based destruction.
🔥 Final Thoughts
PFAS are a huge environmental health concern, and their effects are long-term and global. What makes them scary is:
Their invisibility (odorless, tasteless, microscopic)
Their resistance to degradation
Their ability to accumulate in living organisms
Their multi-system impact on human health