How Scientists and Activists Are Taking on "Forever Chemicals"
Invisible, Indestructible, and In Our Blood: The Story of PFAS
PFAS have been detected in the blood of 97% of Americans and in rainwater across all continents, including Antarctica . These "forever chemicals" persist in the environment and our bodies for years.
of Americans have PFAS in their blood
You've likely never seen them, but they are there. They're in the rain falling on your head, the takeout box holding your lunch, the stain-resistant fabric of your sofa, and even coursing through your bloodstream. They are PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), a class of thousands of human-made chemicals nicknamed "forever chemicals" for their stubborn persistence in our bodies and the environment. This is the story of a dual battle: one fought in laboratories to understand the profound health risks, and another fought in communities by activists demanding action. It's a powerful example of how scientific discovery and social movement organizing can converge to tackle a modern crisis.
PFAS are a large family of synthetic chemicals characterized by one of the strongest bonds in organic chemistry: the bond between carbon and fluorine. This incredibly strong bond is both a superpower and a curse.
It makes materials resistant to water, grease, stains, and heat. This is why they have been used since the 1940s in a vast array of products: non-stick cookware (e.g., Teflon), waterproof clothing, food packaging, firefighting foam, carpets, and countless industrial processes.
That same strong bond means PFAS do not break down easily in the environment. They persist for decades, maybe even centuries. They are highly mobile, traveling through water, soil, and air. And they are bioaccumulative, meaning they build up in the bodies of humans and animals over time.
The most studied PFAS compounds are PFOA (formerly used in Teflon) and PFOS (formerly in Scotchgard). Though major U.S. manufacturers have voluntarily phased these two out, they remain widespread, and thousands of other PFAS compounds are still in use, with largely unknown health effects .
For decades, the potential dangers of PFAS were a quiet concern within the chemical industry. The turning point for public awareness began with a combination of community advocacy and groundbreaking scientific research.
They may mimic or disrupt the function of natural hormones, particularly those related to metabolism and development .
Exposure is linked to reduced vaccine effectiveness in children .
Studies have found associations with kidney and testicular cancer .
But proving these theories requires rigorous, large-scale human studies. One such recent experiment has become a cornerstone of the fight for regulation.
To move from suspicion to certainty, scientists need to directly link PFAS levels in people to specific health outcomes. A pivotal type of study that does this is a large-scale epidemiological cohort study.
To investigate the relationship between the concentration of multiple PFAS compounds in blood serum and the prevalence of various health conditions, including thyroid disease, high cholesterol, and ulcerative colitis.
This type of study is complex and methodical. Here's how it typically works:
Researchers recruit a large group of participants (e.g., 70,000+ people) from areas with known PFAS contamination in their drinking water and a control group from non-contaminated areas. This ensures a wide range of exposure levels.
Participants provide blood samples to measure the precise concentration of several PFAS compounds in their blood, along with comprehensive health data through questionnaires and medical records.
Scientists use advanced statistical models to see if higher PFAS levels in the blood are associated with a higher likelihood of having a specific disease, controlling for other factors like age, diet, and smoking.
The results from such studies have been critical. They move beyond animal testing and directly show the human cost. Let's look at a simplified representation of the kind of data these massive studies produce.
How do scientists even begin to study something invisible in our blood at parts-per-trillion levels? It requires a powerful arsenal of tools.
Function: Separates the complex mixture of compounds in a blood or water sample.
Importance: PFAS are never alone; they exist in a soup of other chemicals. HPLC acts like a super-fine filter, isolating individual PFAS compounds for measurement.
Function: Weighs and identifies the molecular structure of the separated chemicals with extreme precision.
Importance: This is the detective. It confirms, "Yes, this specific molecule is PFOA," and counts exactly how many of them are present, even at incredibly low concentrations.
Function: Synthetic versions of PFAS molecules made with heavier Carbon-13 atoms.
Importance: These act as internal spies. Scientists add a known amount to the sample. By tracking these "heavy" versions, they can correct for any loss of the "real" PFAS during preparation.
Function: Test kits that use antibodies designed to bind to specific PFAS compounds.
Importance: While less precise than HPLC-MS, these provide a faster, cheaper way to screen large numbers of water samples for potential contamination.
Science alone doesn't create change. The story of PFAS is equally a story of social movement organizing. Communities in Parkersburg, West Virginia (exposed to PFOA from a DuPont plant), and the Cape Fear River basin in North Carolina (exposed to GenX from a Chemours plant) became ground zero for activism .
They leveraged the scientific opportunity structure—the growing body of evidence produced by researchers—to powerful effect. Their strategy is a blueprint for modern environmental activism.
Activists demanded blood testing studies, generating local data that made the invisible threat visible.
They used legal tools to force the release of internal industry documents revealing long-hidden dangers.
They turned complex scientific papers into compelling narratives for media, lawmakers, and jurors.
They formed alliances with national environmental groups, combining local power with national resources.
The fight against PFAS is far from over. While science continues to uncover the full scope of the danger and develop methods to destroy these forever chemicals, activism ensures that this knowledge leads to action—stricter regulations, corporate accountability, and cleaner water. It is a powerful demonstration that when the meticulous world of science and the passionate world of activism converge, even the most persistent problems can be challenged. The forever chemicals may be permanent, but so is the resolve of those fighting for a safer world.