PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as the Forever Chemicals, are a large chemical family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals that don’t occur in nature.
PFAS are the most persistent synthetic chemicals to date, they hardly degrade in the natural environment and have been found in the blood and breastmilk of people and wildlife all around the world.
This page gives you a brief introduction to PFAS – for more details, see our briefing and read the Stop PFAS manifesto. You can also see the latest news on PFAS, including what work CHEM Trust is doing on PFAS, in our blog.
If you’ve seen the film ‘Dark Waters’ and want to know more about the facts presented in the film, please visit our Dark Waters and PFOA FAQ page.
If you want to read more about PFAS and the green transition, read our briefing PFAS and the green transition – Frequently Asked Questions. Read a summary of the FAQs here.
What are PFAS used in?
PFAS are used in a wide range of consumer products due to their ability to repel both grease and water, including:
- In paper and cardboard food packaging (e.g. takeaway containers, popcorn bags, pizza boxes, ready-made cakes etc.)
- In non-stick cookware
- In textiles (e.g. waterproof outdoor clothing and equipment, carpets, mattresses etc.)
- In cosmetics (e.g. hair conditioner, foundation cream, sunscreen etc.)
- In electronics (e.g. smartphones)
A 2021 study found PFAS chemicals in disposable food packaging from popular fast-food chains, takeaway restaurants, and supermarkets across Europe. A 2023 study by IPEN and 18 IPEN member groups found PFAS in single-use food contact materials from 17 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. Read more on our PFAS and food packaging FAQ page. A 2024 study found PFAS in clothing, including coats, swimsuits and t-shirts, purchased from 13 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. However, of the outdoor wear tested in the UK, only 1 of the 7 coats contained PFAS, demonstrating that PFAS-free alternatives are widely available.
They are also used in non-consumer applications such as in fire-fighting-foams, a special foam use to extinguish liquid fires, such as a petroleum fire.
How are we exposed to PFAS?
We are exposed to hundreds of PFAS simultaneously via some of the products we use every day, as well as via environmental routes such as drinking water and certain food. Because it is extremely challenging for water treatment plants to remove PFAS from water, contamination of drinking water with PFAS is a rising issue.
How harmful are PFAS?
PFAS can be toxic to both humans and wildlife. Two of the most studied chemicals in this family, PFOA and PFOS, have been shown to:
- Interfere with the hormonal system (so they are called endocrine disruptors)
- Interfere with the reproductive system and the development of the foetus
- Impact the immune system and have been linked to reduced responses to vaccines in children
- Promote the development of certain cancers (e.g. kidney and testicular cancer)
It should be noted that many of the thousands of PFAS currently in use are lacking proper toxicological data.
What is the extent of the contamination?
PFAS don’t easily degrade in the environment and are very mobile in water. This means that once released in the environment, e.g. during manufacturing or after leaching from a consumer product, PFAS tend to migrate in the water and remain intact for very long periods of time. This allows them to be transported over long distances. PFAS have been found in the environment all around the world, even in the most remote areas such as the Arctic. They have also been detected in the blood and breast milk of people and wildlife globally.
The Forever Pollution Project, using data from samples taken between 2003 and 2023 by scientists and environmental agencies, has revealed the level of PFAS pollution at thousands of sites across Europe, including the UK. Read more about the project here.
How are PFAS regulated?
How can you avoid PFAS?
There are some steps you can take to reduce your own and your children’s exposure to PFAS via everyday products:
- Food: Avoid using non-stick cookware and favour home-cooked meals over fast-food and takeaways.
- Textiles: Check for PFAS- or PFC-free labels.
- Cosmetics: Avoid products containing chemicals with “fluoro” or PTFE in their name (check the ingredient list), and avoid dental floss with PTFE coatings.
CHEM Trust recommendations
CHEM Trust proposes the following actions are taken to address these ‘Forever Chemicals’:
Government actions
- Governments must act faster to phase out all PFAS, in collaboration with the EU and through global agreements.
- Governments must ensure that the environment is monitored for a wide range of PFAS chemicals.
- Governments should work towards new, protective regulation of all highly persistent synthetic chemicals.
Industry responsibility
- Companies should immediately work to phase out PFAS chemicals, replacing them with safer, non-PFAS alternatives.
Joint NGO ‘Stop PFAS manifesto’
CHEM Trust alongside more than 100 NGOs have united to demand urgent EU action to stop PFAS pollution. In the joint manifesto, the NGOs warn that Europe is facing a PFAS pollution crisis that threatens people’s health and must be treated as an emergency.
The manifesto calls on the EU to introduce a broad restriction on PFAS production and use by 2030, and to swiftly clean up pollution hotspots which are already impacting communities across Europe. Read more in this blog.
UK NGO PFAS Action Plan
In July 2025, CHEM Trust and partner NGOs published a PFAS Action Plan setting out the actions needed to address the environmental and health risks associated with PFAS in the UK. Overall, the proposal highlights the need for the UK to align with the European Union’s (EU) comprehensive universal PFAS (uPFAS) restriction and explains how, whilst waiting for the uPFAS restriction to come into effect, the UK can take inspiration from the successful examples of Denmark and France in implementing sector-specific bans. Read more about the action plan in this blog post.
For more information
For more information on PFAS, see our briefing.
You can also see the latest news on PFAS in our blog.
External resources on PFAS
- The Scottish NGO FIDRA has a website dedicated on PFASfree.org, including recommendations on PFAS-free school uniforms.
- The US Green Science Policy Institute created a website dedicated to PFAS: PFAS Central, grouping recent news and science about PFAS.
- See also reports from IPEN on PFAS available on their resources page.
- Visit the OECD portal on PFAS.
CHEM Trust is a signatory to the “Zürich Statement on Future Actions on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)” (2018).
