forever chemicals

These are PFAs, per- and polyfluoroalkyls, which have a strong carbon-fluorine bond which can resist grease and water.  The original forever chemicals were in Teflon but now there are thousands of non-stick, stain-repellant and water-proof products containing PFAs developed from the original.

The problem is that these chemicals are incredibly persistent and the end result is that they are now in our blood and have been detected in the blood of newborn babies.  They are in the water that we drink, even in remote parts of the world.  They have been discovered now in rainwater in Tibet at a level that causes alarm. They should be called the everywhere chemicals.

There is some evidence that PFAs cause cancer, particularly testicular cancer.  They are linked to endocrine disruption and can affect the autoimmune system.  Some of the worst offenders have been banned but that still leaves an awful lot of them out there and not much knowledge about what they might do to us.  It will be a long time before the situation improves.