forever chemical

English

Etymology

From forever +‎ chemical. From being a chemical compound which is highly unlikely to break down.

Noun

forever chemical (plural forever chemicals)

(journalism, environmentalism, often in the plural) Synonym of PFAS (“perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance”)
Hyponyms: PFOS, PFOA
- 2019 June 7, Jamie Feldman, “Here's Everything We Know About The Forever Chemicals In Food”, in Huffington Post‎^[1]:
  Forever chemicals have infiltrated water across 43 states nationwide, impacting the drinking supply of about 19 million Americans.
- 2020 January 23, Bruce Y. Lee, “Forever Chemicals In Your Drinking Water, It Is Worse Than Previously Thought”, in Forbes‎^[2]:
  These are the Keith Richards of chemicals, known as forever chemicals because they can survive for years without really breaking down.
- 2020 January 24, Sarah Gibbens, “Toxic forever chemicals more common in tap water than thought, report says.”, in National Geographic‎^[3]:
  Some of the most commonly used PFAS chemicals, like PFOS and PFOA (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid) have long half-lives, earning them the moniker the forever chemical.
- [2021 May 13, Tom Perkins, “Study finds alarming levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in US mothers’ breast milk”, in The Guardian‎^[4], retrieved 2021-05-13:
  They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and have been found to accumulate in humans.]
- 2022 December 20, “3M to end 'forever chemicals' output at cost of up to $2.3 bln”, in Reuters‎^[5]:
  U.S. industrial conglomerate 3M Co (MMM.N) on Tuesday set a 2025 deadline to stop producing PFAS, the "forever chemicals" used in anything from cell phones to semiconductors that have been linked to cancers, heart problems and low birth weights.