BLUF:[Quartz] PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that can be found in several everyday items like household cleaners, packaging like sandwich wrappers, paints and waxes, fire-fighting foams, and wire insulation. Because their molecules have strong carbon-fluoride bonds, they do not degrade easily. They were largely produced between the 1940s to early 2000s, with a slowdown in recent years, but their effects will last for more than a thousand years.
The chemicals, which most Americans have been exposed to, have been found to affect reproductive and thyroid levels. They’ve also been linked to cancer, developmental defects, and other health problems.
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