It’s raining PFAS: even in Antarctica and on the Tibetan plateau rainwater is unsafe to drink - Stockholm University

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are man-made hazardous chemicals spread globally in the atmosphere, can now be found in rainwater and snow in even the most remote locations on Earth. Due to new insights into their toxicity, guideline values for PFAS have decreased dramatically over the past 20 years, leading to ubiquitous exceedance of these guidelines in environmental media. A perspective article by researchers from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich suggests that PFAS define a new planetary boundary for novel entities that has been exceeded. The extreme persistence and continuous global cycling of certain PFAS result in the continued exceedance of these guidelines, making it difficult to reduce PFAS contamination. These “forever chemicals” have been associated with serious health issues such as cancer, learning and behavioral problems, infertility, pregnancy complications, increased cholesterol, and immune system problems.