Bloomberg Originals: "The Toxic Legacy of 3M's 'Forever Chemicals'"
https://www.youtube.com/embed/5CUvPykRxHI
Explanation: "Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’, present a complex and global challenge. ... There is growing evidence that their widespread use and past management have generated risks of harm to people and to the environment, including wildlife. Their persistence means that some PFAS will remain in our environment for hundreds of years. While there is scope to continue to improve our understanding across all PFAS, this growing concern over potential health risks and irreversible environmental contamination means that action should not be unnecessarily delayed" (Hardy, E., 2026). About: "PFAS chemicals are used in thousands of products aimed at making life easier. But the chemicals are now almost everywhere, including in human blood, and are being linked to severe health problems." Related: BBC News "What are forever chemicals, and how do they impact our health?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr3Vc6quuTE Issue: "'I'm worried about this because we've never seen in recent history a chemical that's accumulating in so many media at such a high rate,' said Hans Peter Arp from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. 'It's accumulating in our tap water, the food we're eating, plants, trees, the sea, and all in the past few decades.' He added: 'We all have been experiencing rising TFA concentrations in our blood since the Montreal protocol [banned CFCs]. Future generations will have increasing concentrations in their blood until some kind of global action is taken. Accumulation [in the environment] is essentially irreversible and I'm afraid the impact on humans and the environment won't be recognised by scientists until it is too late.' Last month, the German chemical regulator informed the European Chemicals Agency that it wanted TFA classified as reprotoxic, meaning it can harm human reproductive function, fertility and foetal development. Denmark and Germany have set limits for TFA in drinking water but the UK has not. England's water companies have been asked to assess their drinking water sources for 47 types of PFAS but TFA is not on the list. Britain's Health and Safety Executive has identified TFA as 'a substance of concern, since there are indications that it might cause developmental toxicity' and the Environment Agency says it is planning a targeted programme to test for TFA in surface and groundwater. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said it would continue to 'assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources, potential risks and to inform policy and regulatory approaches" (Hosea, L., & Salvidge, R., 2024). Bibliography: Hardy, E. (2026). 'PFAS Plan: building a safer future together'. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfas-plan/pfas-plan-building-a-safer-future-together Wang, Z., Buser, A. M., Cousins, I. T., Demattio, S., Drost, W., Johansson, O., Ohno, K., Patlewicz, G., Richard, A. M., Walker, G. W., White, G. S., & Leinala, E. (2021). "A New OECD Definition for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances". Environmental Science & Technology, 55(23), 15575–15578. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06896 BBC News. (2025, December 1). What are forever chemicals, and how do they impact our health? | BBC News. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr3Vc6quuTE Hosea, L., & Salvidge, R. (2024, May). "Rapidly rising levels of TFA 'forever chemical' alarm experts". The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/may/01/rapidly-rising-levels-of-tfa-forever-chemical-alarm-experts Thorpe, L. (2026). 'PFAS in beauty: what they are and how to avoid them'. Green People. https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/blogs/the-beauty-hub/pfas-in-beauty-what-they-are-and-how-to-avoid-them
