Much has been written recently about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or ‘forever chemicals,’ and we want to provide you with practical information so you can manage those chemicals in your home and environment. When you understand how to phase out these chemicals in your home, you can also take effective action on a community level.

It is prudent to eliminate PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in our homes. These substances build up in our environment, find their way into our bodies, and have been shown to cause serious health problems, including cancer and birth defects.

Since the 1940s, PFAS have been used to make products including long-lasting, nonstick surfaces for take-out containers, pizza boxes, cookware, breathable waterproof clothing membranes, and stain-resistant furniture coatings. As evidence accumulates that toxic PFAS are now found in the blood serum of nearly all people tested, lawsuits are proceeding to sort out who should pay for the human health consequences of exposure to these pervasive pollutants.

We, as individuals, can help reduce and contain the spread of persistent toxins on our planet by buying PFAS-free products and knowing how to prevent the release of PFAS into our environment.

Here are practical action steps you can take to choose PFAS-free sustainable goods:

• Search online for the CDC’s PFAS Factsheet and the EPA’s PFAS Explained web page. They explain the federal government’s assessment of PFAS exposure and the adverse health effects observed in the studies.

• Stop using non-stick cookware. Switch to stainless steel or cast iron. Preheat the pan, add oil or butter, and ensure the oil is hot before adding your ingredients; this creates a barrier between the pan and food, preventing sticking without a chemical coating.

• Use microwave-safe glass or ceramic containers rather than microwavable products (such as popcorn). Greaseproof paper packaging is often coated in PFAS.

• Look for clothing, especially rain gear, made without PFAS. Most outdoor clothing brands plan to phase out PFAS by the end of 2025.

• Filter your tap water to remove PFAS, and avoid beverages packaged in plastic, which may leach PFAS into liquids.

PFAS are now an unavoidable part of our environment, including our drinking water, because they resist breaking down. PFAS in our wastewater ends up in our rivers, lakes, and groundwater. The United States Geologic Service estimates that 45% of tap water could have one or more PFAS. In 2023, results from testing in Maine found PFAS contamination on over 50 farms. PFAS comes into our bodies through our skin, lungs, and intestines. We can’t avoid PFAS, but we can mitigate exposure by choosing PFAS-free consumer goods.

As far as the level of PFAS contamination eventually declining, there is some good news and bad news. First, the good news is since 2000, the concentration of “long alkyl chain PFAS” being found in everyone’s blood has decreased. The CDC’s biomonitoring project says this result is “demonstrating the effectiveness of actions to reduce exposure.”

The bad news is that there is no easy answer to the question, “What should I do with the stuff I own that contains PFAS?” As the CDC’s biomonitoring data shows, just putting PFAS in a landfill doesn’t keep it out of our environment or bodies because all landfills fill up with water, which can spread PFAS to nearby rivers and wells. Burning PFAS in waste-to-energy incinerators is unsafe because these facilities were not designed to capture all the toxins produced when they burn garbage.

A better idea than landfilling or burning would be to treat this material as household hazardous waste until the EPA’s interim guidance on how to dispose of it becomes final.

To remove them completely from our environment, PFAS must undergo specific heat or chemical treatments in a careful process inside a closed container to break apart each molecule.

Here’s how to handle hazardous waste in your home or organization:

• Set aside an area to collect and store this waste in plastic bins.

• Label the area and bins “household hazardous waste.”

• Contact your local public works department to determine where and when to take your hazardous waste and which categories are currently accepted.

Knowing what PFAS are and how to handle them can help everyone take action to positively impact the world, moving our society from a linear landfilling economy to a circular recycling economy.

Peggy Siegle and Fred Horch are principals of Sustainable Practice. To receive expert action guides to help your household and organizations become superbly sustainable, visit SustainablePractice.Life and subscribe for free to “One Step This Week.”