PFAS, the ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Become EPA Problem: QuickTake

What do you do about lab-made chemicals that are in 99 percent of people in the U.S. and have been linked to immune system problems and cancer? Whose bonds are so stable that they’re often called “forever chemicals”?

Meet PFAS, a class of chemicals that some scientists call the next PCB or DDT. For consumers, they are best known for making products like Scotchgard and Teflon. For businesses, PFAS are a puzzle that have already created billions of dollars worth of liabilities.

But 70 years of unchecked proliferation may be ending as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it ...