The Nuance
What Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ Doing to Our Bodies?
PFAS’ complicated chemical structures ensure they almost never degrade. Here’s how they may be affecting your health.
Paulsboro, New Jersey is a small industrial town located about 20 minutes south of Camden. In 2013, an environmental watchdog group called the Delaware Riverkeeper Network turned up evidence of chemical contamination in Paulsboro’s water supply. The following year, state officials told residents not to let children under the age of one drink water from the tap.
Paulsboro is home to a plastics manufacturing firm that, from the 1970s until 2010, had used a chemical called perfluorononanoic acid, or PFNA, to make products like firefighting foam and stain-resistant coatings. The firm never admitted to contaminating local water supplies, but local water tests turned up PFNA at levels nearing 100 parts per trillion, which is roughly 10 times higher than the safety limit set by New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. The plastics firm, a joint venture of Solvay Specialty Polymer and Arkema, settled a class-action lawsuit that granted some residents of Paulsboro a $200 damages payment and a free blood test.
