Absorbent booms are used to contain aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) from spilling into the surface water in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, on February 7th, 2019. AFFF used in fighting fires can contain PFAS. | Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers / NurPhoto via Getty Images
“Forever chemicals” have a reputation for being indestructible, persistent, and just about everywhere — including many places where they shouldn’t be, like our drinking water.
But now, there’s excitement about a new way to essentially smash these molecules to bits so that they don’t cause environmental and health problems. It’s described in research published today in the journal Science. There are caveats to the process, but to many experts’ delight, it’s surprisingly simple for such a tough substance.
“It truly goes against everything I’ve known for the past 10 years. And that’s really cool because someone else can then take this information and exploit it and adapt it to technologies that we need,” says Shira Joudan, an environmental…
