Forever chemicals: Party crashers that won’t leave

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a.k.a. forever chemicals, are like that ex who just won’t ghost you. They’ve been crashing in our non-stick pans, stain-proof couches, greasy food wrappers, and even firefighter foam for decades, refusing to break up with the planet or our bodies.

In the Philippines, these clingy crashers — man-made chemicals used for their water/grease resistance such as Teflon in non-stick pans — are showing up in breast cancer studies of Metro Manila women, according to reports.

Unlike other toxins on the naughty list, PFAS snuck past the Philippines’ chemical controls, leaving thousands of variants free to party in your household stuff: waterproof clothing, carpets, outdoor gear, stain-resistant furniture, grease-resistant paper, fast-food wrappers, mascara, foundation, dental floss, menstrual products, electronics, paints, building materials and legacy firefighting foam.

It’s like inviting a horde to the house party and forgetting to check their IDs. Non-government organizations like EcoWaste Coalition and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a global NGO working to reduce toxic chemicals, are yelling “Bouncer needed!” for a class-wide eviction.

Forever chemicals bioaccumulate like bad karma, causing endocrine drama, immune fails, baby-making woes, liver/kidney beatdowns, cholesterol spikes, thyroid tantrums and cancer cameos.

EcoWaste and IPEN are the comic heroes pushing for a PFAS ban en masse or their addition to the Priority Chemicals List, including its relative perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) now getting the Stockholm Convention boot.

But there’s no real cuffs yet from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or Department of Health. We’re in the Stockholm club, but local PFAS enforcement is still buffering.