PFAS, Forever No More

The Centers for Disease Control has linked a host of health effects with longterm PFAS exposure, including increased risk of certain cancers, birth defects, decreased fertility, thyroid disease and more. Michigan officials have identified more than 230 sites with levels above the EPA s health limit for groundwater. But they estimate that number could be well over 11, 000. Nationally, the EPA believes there may be 120, 000 sites where people were exposed to the forever chemical, including hundreds of military bases. Now, University of Michigan researchers, led by professor John Foster, are working to remove the forever label from PFAS chemicals. They have developed a cold plasma technology that breaks the molecules down to harmless elements. It may be a game changer for the environment and people, especially because PFAS chemicals have been working their way into our environment, bodies and lives since the 1940s. And new chemi