What are PFAS, and why do they last forever?
PFAS are human-made chemicals that do not break down in nature. For this reason, people often call them forever chemicals. Scientists have identified more than 15,000 different PFAS, and manufacturers have used them for decades.
These chemicals resist heat and repel water and oil. Because of that, they appear in many everyday products. Examples include non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, cleaning agents, building materials, and older firefighting foams. However, the same traits that make PFAS useful also make them very hard to remove once released.
From forever chemicals to everywhere chemicals
Once PFAS enter the environment, they spread easily. They move through air, water, and soil and can travel long distances. Over time, they build up in plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Scientists have now found PFAS across the world, including in remote regions like Antarctica. As a result, researchers no longer see them as a limited problem.
According to CSIRO scientist Dr Divina Navarro, PFAS now behave more like everywhere chemicals. Their molecular structure explains why. PFAS contain very strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which rarely break. In addition, their design includes a water-loving head and a water-repelling tail. This allows them to move smoothly between soil, water, and air.
Because levels differ from place to place, researchers measure PFAS concentrations. These measurements help governments tell the difference between background levels and true contamination.
Are PFAS harmful?
High exposure to PFAS can harm people, animals, and plants. Recent studies, for example, link high PFAS levels in freshwater turtles to disease, deformities, and falling populations.
That said, scientists are still working to understand the full health impact. Research continues worldwide to identify which PFAS levels pose the greatest risk. Even so, one fact is clear. PFAS present a global problem that needs new solutions.
Where do PFAS come from?
In some locations, the source is obvious. Airports and military bases often used PFAS-based firefighting foams in the past. Because of this, CSIRO works closely with Australia’s Department of Defence to study how PFAS spreads from these sites.
PFAS also move into rivers and groundwater. Eventually, they reach wastewater treatment plants. This creates another problem. Most treatment systems cannot remove PFAS effectively.
As a result, PFAS often end up in biosolids. Farmers sometimes use these solids as fertiliser, which can spread contamination further.
To address this, researchers track how PFAS move through soil and water. They study how factors like organic carbon, clay, and minerals affect movement speed. With better data, scientists can predict where PFAS may collect over time.
How scientists detect PFAS
Because PFAS come from many sources, tracing them back is often impossible. Instead, scientists test soil and water samples directly.
This task is difficult. Testing for thousands of chemicals at once is complex. Some methods require knowing the exact chemical structure in advance. Others detect a wide range of compounds but struggle to separate similar ones.
To solve this, CSIRO opened a new Ion Cyclotron Resonance facility in Adelaide in 2025. This system can identify tens of thousands of chemicals in a single sample.
The ICR works by separating molecules based on mass. Even in complex samples like soil, it can spot long carbon fluorine chains linked to PFAS. As a result, detection becomes faster and more precise.
In emergencies such as chemical spills, scientists can now analyse samples within a day.
Removing PFAS from soil and water
Removing PFAS from the environment is costly and difficult. Therefore, researchers focus on areas with the highest contamination first.
In polluted soil, crews may dig up material for treatment or destruction. In other cases, they add sorbents to lock PFAS in place. For contaminated water, floating wetlands have shown promising results by absorbing PFAS naturally.
However, removal is only the first step. Scientists must still destroy the chemicals safely.
Can PFAS really be destroyed?
Destroying PFAS is challenging because their bonds resist heat and chemical reactions. Even so, researchers are testing several methods.
These include pyrolysis, gasification, supercritical water oxidation, and alkaline thermal treatment. Each method uses heat, pressure, or chemistry to break PFAS apart.
CSIRO scientists now focus on two promising approaches. The first uses high temperature incineration at around 1,000 degrees Celsius. This process fully breaks PFAS down into harmless compounds like carbon dioxide, water, and calcium fluoride.
The second method, thermal desorption, heats contaminated material until PFAS evaporate. This leaves the soil structure intact, so it can be reused.
Is burning PFAS safe?
Thermal treatment creates another concern. Harmful gases can form during breakdown. If released, these gases could cause new problems.
For this reason, researchers study each step of the destruction process. They examine how oxygen, water, and surfaces affect chemical reactions. This work ensures that treatment systems capture and neutralise harmful emissions.
So far, international research teams have traced the full breakdown pathway of PFAS during incineration. They have also helped recyclers destroy PFAS in batteries while recovering valuable metals.
Removing the forever from forever chemicals
PFAS pollution will not disappear overnight. However, global collaboration and advanced tools are making progress possible.
By improving detection, tracking movement, and refining destruction methods, scientists are slowly reducing the long-term risks. Step by step, they aim to remove the forever from forever chemicals.
