If you’re a human with blood, chances are you have something called PFAS in it. These “forever chemicals” have been used since the 1940s to make things like nonstick pans, waterproof mascara, and fire-suppressing foam—and they do not go away. Not from your body, not from the soil, not from the water. They are called forever for a reason.
Now, a team of scientists in Australia says they’ve found a way to destroy these chemicals by reducing them to their least evil form: fluoride. The same kind that ends up in your toothpaste.
In a study published July 25 in the journal Small, researchers at the University of Adelaide unveiled a new process that uses sunlight-activated materials to break down PFAS in water. The method works on a molecular level, shattering PFAS’s notoriously strong carbon-fluorine bonds—something traditional water treatments haven’t been able to touch.
“PFAS contamination continues to pose a global health risk, and this research represents a critical step toward safer communities and cleaner ecosystems,” said materials scientist Dr. Cameron Shearer in a statement.
New Process Breaks Down Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Into Fluoride
The team used a photocatalytic compound called cadmium indium sulfide, which creates free radicals when exposed to visible light. These radicals attack the fluorine atoms in the PFAS molecule, eventually breaking the entire thing apart. Under the right conditions, the process destroyed about 99% of the pollutant PFOS, one of the more infamous PFAS varieties.
PFAS—short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—have been linked to fertility issues, developmental disorders, immune dysfunction, and several types of cancer. They also take thousands of years to degrade naturally, which is why they’re now floating around in nearly everything, including drinking water.
While the method doesn’t magically clean the entire planet, it could be a game-changer for local water treatment. “The materials we have developed…could be used as part of PFAS-treatment chains that first capture and concentrate PFAS in water, which can then be degraded through exposure to our light-activated materials,” Shearer explained.
The resulting byproducts, including fluoride, can even be reused in things like toothpaste and fertilizers.
More work is still needed to scale the process up, but it’s one of the most promising solutions yet for a problem that affects about 98% of the U.S. population—and 85% of Australians.
Forever chemicals might not be so forever after all. Just extremely stubborn.
The post Scientists Found a Way to Turn ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Water Into Fluoride appeared first on VICE.
