Canada (Commonwealth Union) – The accumulation of chemicals in the atmosphere are believed by many researchers to be responsible for the rise in a wide variety of diseases. Scientists from the University of Alberta (U of A) say a newly found method to eliminate toxic substances referred to as “forever chemicals” in the lab is a positive development in finding methods to take away the stubborn substances from the atmosphere.
Chemicals, from the group called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are used in many industrial products used every day, due to their durability and stability. They are capable of repelling fats and water and withstand high temperature without breaking down and they are resistant to chemical degradation. However, these same traits have become a huge issue.
Rylan Lundgren, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, stated that the molecules are highly resistant, making them useful, but we can’t eliminate them.
Chemicals evaluated by the scientists are a particular type of PFAS known as perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids. Shira Joudan, who is set to join U of A as an assistant professor stated that chemicals do not break down in the atmosphere at all and keep building up, and they are hazardous.
There are roughly 5,000 different PFAS, and with stability they easily move via everything from the environment to bodies of water, reaching areas as far off as the Arctic to the Himalayas, according to Joudan, who added that they are even present in the food and water we consume. “They’re added to all sorts of things in our lives, whether it’s to help cleaning products spread better, to put out fires — there are many different applications and usages of all these chemicals,” she said, pointing out that they are just about everywhere.
Joudan also explained that in spite of the new method to eliminate the chemical, exciting more work will need to be done.
