PFAS AKA “Forever Chemicals”

  • Photo of firefighter using foam to put out a car fire

The Story of PFAS

PFAS (Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) or ‘forever chemicals’ are a class of over 15,000 toxic chemicals. Members of this chemical class feature the strongest chemical bond known to organic chemistry- the carbon fluorine bond. This incredible chemical bond leads to properties like not reacting with other substances- including an ability to repel grease, oil, and water. In this story, chemical manufacturers wanted to give their products these properties, such as jackets that didn’t get wet, refrigerants that didn’t corrode copper pipes, and frying pans that eggs didn’t stick to. PFAS chemicals were added to pizza boxes, toys, makeup, dental floss, carpets, and even outdoor turf.

PFAS is also used in the fire service. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) is a type of fire-fighting foam used to extinguish flammable liquid fires like those caused by alcohol or oil. Firefighters and military personnel using AFFF foam can be exposed to this hazard, and also the foam gets onto soil and flows into storm drains, and eventually, into our water systems.

OEC PFAS: Policy 101
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Over time, PFAS chemicals were added to more and more products – but they didn’t break down. PFAS chemicals can take hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade, and as they move through our food, water and waste systems and the natural world, they build up. And unfortunately, mounting evidence started to show the PFAS chemicals were causing harm.

How People Come Into Contact With PFAS

PFAS lurk in thousands of consumer products – from food wrappers, and nonstick pans, to stain and water-repellent fabrics, toys and even waterproof mascara. People can be exposed to PFAS when they touch a product containing the chemicals and it absorbs through their skin. As fabric and PFAS coatings form dust, the PFAS chemicals can be accidentally ingested or inhaled as household dust.

PFAS Fact Graphic - PFAS: A class of 15,000+ Toxic Chemicals that are called "forever chemicals" because they don't breakdown in the environment.

PFAS can contaminate soil where grass and crops grow, and enter our water where fish swim and drinking water comes from. PFAS can even enter the atmosphere and come down as rain. Indeed, PFAS has been found in waterways, including groundwater and soil in some places. PFAS chemicals have the ability to find their way into fish, milk, crops, and even drinking water.

Where PFAS Are Found

PFAS chemicals are so pervasive they have been found in breastmilk and in the blood of 97% of Americans. Current rates of PFAS are much lower in Oregon than in many other states. Across the nation, concentrations of PFAS vary. States have limited testing capacity and only about 100 types of the 15,000+ PFAS chemicals can be reliably identified with current testing capability. In November 2024, the EPA released a dataset for testing public water systems for a small subset of  PFAS chemicals. Using these metrics, PFAS have been identified in six drinking water systems in Oregon including: Hermiston, Dundee, Molalla, Independence, Marcola and Bend.

PFAS and Health

PFAS Fact Graphic - PFAS: Cause severe illness like cancers, lower birth weight, liver damage, thyroid disease, high cholesterol and fertility issues.

The ubiquitous presence of PFAS chemicals and PFAS exposures can cause health problems that mirror common health issues facing Americans. Health effects from PFAS include: cancer, heart disease,  problems with the immune system, reproductive and hormone systems, as well as risks to the healthy growth and development of children.

Cancer

PFAS exposure can cause cancer, including testicular, thyroid and kidney cancer. Alarmingly, cancer rates have worsened over time, especially in younger people. Since 1920, cancer has become more common, and there are more deaths from cancer with each successive generation. For example, compared to those born in 1955, people born in 1990 were 2-3 times more likely to get kidney cancer. Considering cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States, PFAS chemicals are one added risk we don’t need.

Heart Disease

PFAS also can increase cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels can block the arteries in your heart, leading to less blood flow to the heart and eventually- heart attacks. Heart disease is the second most common cause of death for Americans, second only to cancer.

Immune System

When people are exposed to some types of PFAS chemicals, the body has a harder time making antibodies. This can make it challenging to fight infection or for a vaccine to work.

Reproductive and Hormone Systems

PFAS interfere with hormones in the endocrine system, causing issues such as thyroid disease and liver damage. People are also more likely to suffer from fertility issues when exposed to PFAS. For those who do become pregnant, PFAS exposure can increase risks of preeclampsia and infants with lower birth weights.

Children’s Development

PFAS pollutants can cross the placental barrier and accumulate before a baby is born. The developing brain and central nervous system are especially vulnerable to environmental stressors during early life. Such exposures can increase risks for difficulty with learning, attention, behavioral regulation and other neuro-developmental risks.

How To Limit Your Exposure To PFAS

PFAS Fact Graphic - PFAS: Man-made to repel oil grease and water, and lurk in things like cookware, toys, cosmetics, stain-resistant clothes and carpet.

It can be challenging to avoid chemicals that show up in so many parts of our lives, but there are ways you can limit your exposure:

  • Install water filters that remove PFAS from drinking water if it’s known that your water is contaminated.
  • Use stainless steel and cast iron cookware instead of pans with non-stick coatings.
  • Skip optional stain-repellant treatment on carpets and furniture.
  • Research your beauty and personal-care products. The Environmental Working Group has a database of 100,000+ cosmetics products and the dangerous chemicals in them.

Federal, State, and Local Actions

As health concerns about PFAS mount, a majority of states now regulate PFAS in various products, while businesses increasingly offer safer product alternatives.

Considering federal action, the DOD is working to eliminate PFAS from military operations, decontaminate military bases from past firefighting foam releases and help airports move away from PFAS-based firefighting foam.

In February of 2024, the FDA announced the removal of certain types of PFAS for use as a grease-proofing substance on paper-based food-packaging here in the U.S. Even so, problems with PFAS use in food packaging still exist because these regulations do not address PFAS chemicals as a class, but rather one-by-one.

PFAS Fact Graphic - PFAS: Build up over time in our soil, water and bodies -- and are found in the blood of 97% of Americans.

In 2027, the EPA will require public drinking water utilities to test and report for some types of PFAS. By 2029, EPA will require water treatment for PFAS, costing US ratepayers an estimated $1.2 – $3.2 billion, although there is still uncertainty about what EPA regulations will look like.

Additionally, the EPA has designated some PFAS types as Superfund hazardous substances.
For its 2025 budget, the Pentagon has requested $1.6 billion for PFAS cleanup. Previously, the Department of Defense spent more than $219,000 on environmental investigations in Klamath Falls and Portland International Airport.

Regulating PFAS in Oregon

In the more than fifty years with little federal action on PFAS, Oregon has passed laws to begin to address these chemicals, including:

  • PFAS Testing (2007): Required DEQ to conduct one-time testing of Oregon’s major wastewater treatment plants for persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals, including 5 PFAS chemicals. If tests exceeded certain levels, a pollution prevention plan was required as part of the treatment plant’s wastewater discharge permit.
  • Toxic Free Kids Act (2015): Established high priority chemicals of concern for children’s products and required manufacturers to report these chemicals to the Oregon Health Authority. The law eventually requires a phase-out of certain chemicals (PFOS is among the list of high priority chemicals), but the ability to address chemicals as a class, such as for PFAS, was not included
  • Toxic Free Kids Modernization Act (2023): Building on the success of Oregon’s groundbreaking 2015 Toxic Free Kids Act, this law strengthened protections for children’s health and streamlined business reporting requirements. The updated rule gives OHA the authority to regulate classes of chemicals without a mandate, and removes the limit on the number of chemicals that can be regulated. The new reporting requirements include brand names and models to make it easier for consumers to make informed buying decisions.
  • PFAS Foodware Ban (2023): In another major win for Oregon consumers, this law phases the use of PFAS in food packaging starting January 1, 2025. The state also passed Senate Bill 545 to help businesses and restaurants provide reusable container options.

Trusted resources and tools are also being developed to help citizens, businesses, and governments avoid the purchase of PFAS products, such as the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies’ public toolkit.

While these tools and state legislation represent a major win for Oregonians and our environment – we must continue to reduce Oregonians’ exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals.

Next Actions on PFAS

As advocates for strong environmental health policy, OEC played a key role in passing and updating Oregon’s Toxic Free Kids Act and the Toxic Free Cosmetics Act. But we’re not stopping there! OEC also supports several ways lawmakers can further address toxic forever chemicals, including:

  • Passing 2025 legislation to phase out PFAS, including phasing out PFAS in firefighting foam and in categories of consumer products that already have proven alternatives. Click here for more information about our PFAS Phase out efforts in the 2025 legislative session!
  • Funding for water systems to monitor for  PFAS in drinking water systems and for upgrades to filtration systems in order to remove PFAS from drinking water.
  • Providing funding for the fire service, water treatment utilities and DEQ to manage and dispose of AFFF.

You can help us continue to push for policies to regulate PFAS and stronger protections from these harmful forever chemicals in Oregon. Sign up for OEC’s Grassroots Action Network to stay on top of the latest PFAS actions and other opportunities to tell lawmakers you care about Oregon’s health and environment.

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