PFAS stands for PIR and Polyfluoroalkyl substances. It's an umbrella term for a family of thousands of chemicals, so around 10,000 or 12,000 on the market at the moment. The EU would like to regulate the entire class of chemicals as one. But in the UK, we're rather further behind. And it's very difficult for public interest science to then pick one of those chemicals and then prove that it's creating harm.
Madeleine Finlay speaks to environmental journalist Rachel Salvidge about PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’, which have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe. Rachel explains what they are, how harmful they can be, and what can be done to mitigate their effects. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod