Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of widely used and potentially harmful chemicals. PFAS are commonly used in manufacturing processes and in products that repel oil, water, stains and grease. When products that contain PFAS are made or used, PFAS can sometimes enter the environment. PFAS have been found in drinking water, foam on surface water, animals and dust. PFAS are difficult to avoid. Small amounts of these chemicals are likely to enter most people’s bodies each day. 

PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they take a long time to break down in the environment or to exit the body. However, PFAS do not stay in the body forever. PFAS levels in the body start to go down once exposure ends. This is because PFAS leave the body through normal bodily processes.

Research is ongoing to understand how PFAS affect human health. Being exposed to PFAS or having PFAS in your body does not mean you will have health problems now or in the future.  However, some studies have shown that certain PFAS may increase the risk of health effects, such as:

1. High blood pressure or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy
2. Thyroid disease
3. Decreased immune system response to vaccines in children
4. Reduced fertility
5. Liver damage
6. Higher cholesterol, especially total and LDL cholesterols
7. Decreased infant birth weight
8. Developing certain types of cancer, particularly kidney and testicular cancer