There's something in your water bottle, your makeup, your popcorn bag, and even your school's water fountain: PFAs. These so-called "forever chemicals" are showing up in places you'd never expect, and they're not going away any time soon. But teens around the world are stepping to fight these "invincible" chemicals.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, oil, stains, and water. They're in nonstick pans, fast-food wrappers, water-repellent clothing, and even fire-fighting foam. They're called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment, or our bodies for decades. Health researchers have linked PFAS exposure to a wide range of serious issues: cancer, reproductive problems, immune system damages, and developmental delays in children.
Across the country, students are starting petitions to demand PFAS testing in school water fountains, cafeterias, and classrooms. In one Virginia school district, a student teamed up with a local nonprofit to test water fountains herself. After the results came back with concerning levels of PFAS, she presented them to the school board and successfully advocated for filtered hydration stations.
In Vermont, citizen activists, many of them teenagers and college students, pushed for one of the strongest PFAS bans in the nation. In Maryland, a high school team collected water samples from neighborhood creeks and tested for PFAS. When they found concerning levels, they contacted local media, and soon, an investigation into a nearby industrial site was launched.