Our weekly program, Missouri State Journal, is a collaboration between KSMU Radio and Missouri State University. It's hosted and produced by MSU's Office of Strategic Communication, and it airs each Tuesday morning at 9:45 on KSMU.
Forever chemicals are so named because of how long they remain in the human body and the environment. Known by the acronym PFAS, these polyfluoroalkyls are present in an estimated 98% of Americans' bodies. As such, they have become a growing health concern.
Dr. Cyren Rico, an associate professor of chemistry at Missouri State University, studies forever chemicals and the process by which they find their way into our lives. One example:
“So, if you go buy pizza, the pizza box, you say it's glossy. It has some kind of forever chemicals there so that it'll prevent the leakage,” he said, noting food packaging is the most prevalent source of PFAS.
Rico said they’re in our public water supply – including about 40% of private wells across the Midwest.
Going forward. Rico said, scientists face a dual challenge: How can we remove these chemicals from our ecosystem and what alternate chemicals can we use in their place to maintain our way of life?
