A group of scientists may have found a safe and cost-effective way to destroy what are known as “forever chemicals” and are not easily destroyed. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl materials, is found in many household items, including non-stick teflon pans and dental floss. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are at least 12,000 such substances today. They all have one thing in common: a carbon-fluorine backbone, one of the strongest bonds known in organic chemistry. This is what gives PFAS-treated cookware their non-stick quality. But the same property can make these substances harmful to humans.
Because they are so molecularly stable, PFAS can persist in soil and water for generations. Studies by scientists have shown that prolonged exposure to them can lead to an increased risk of certain cancers, reduced immunity and developmental effects on children. Researchers have spent years trying to find a way to destroy the carbon-fluorine bond that makes PFAS so stubborn, but they may now have achieved a major breakthrough.
In a study published in the journal Science; A group of chemists from UCLA, Northwestern University and China found that a mixture of sodium hydroxide, a chemical used in caustic, and an organic solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide, was effective at breaking down a large subgroup of PFASs known as perfluorocarboxylic acids, or PFCAs. When lead author Brittany Trang heated the mixture to about 79 to 121 degrees Celsius, it began to break down the bonds between the PFAS molecules. After a few days, the mixture was even able to reduce any fluorine byproducts to harmless molecules. One of the ingredients that makes the mix so strong is sodium hydroxide. Dimethyl sulfoxide binds to PFAS molecules after softening them and accelerating their degradation.
Professor William Dichtel, one of the study’s co-authors, told The New York Times that more work needs to be done before the solution works outside the lab. Also, the size of the problem creates another challenge. In February, scientists estimated that humans add about 50,000 tons of PFAS chemicals to the atmosphere each year. Another recent study found that because these substances are ubiquitous, rainwater is not safe to drink anywhere in the world.
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