Knowra PFAS PFAS PFAS are a large class of synthetic chemicals containing highly fluorinated carbon chains or rings. Many persist in the environment because carbon–fluorine bonds resist degradation.
Carbon–fluorine bond : A covalent bond between carbon and fluorine, unusually strong in many organic molecules. Its strength helps explain why many PFAS resist chemical and environmental breakdown.
Aqueous film-forming foam : A firefighting foam that rapidly spreads a water-based film over flammable liquid fuels. Some formulations used PFAS to suppress fuel fires and created contamination at training sites.
PFAS contamination : The presence of PFAS in environmental media, products, or living organisms at unwanted levels. Releases from manufacturing, firefighting, and waste have contaminated water and soil.
Perfluoroalkyl substances : Substances whose carbon frameworks are fully fluorinated, apart from specified functional groups. They form one subset of PFAS, distinct from partially fluorinated polyfluoroalkyl substances.
PFAS definition : A proposed boundary for which substances count as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Different definitions include or exclude groups such as fluoropolymers and complicate comparisons.
Amphiphilicity : The property of having both water-attracting and water-repelling regions in one molecule. Some PFAS combine water-compatible groups with fluorinated regions that repel water and oil.
Nonstick cookware : Cookware coated with a low-friction material, commonly polytetrafluoroethylene. PTFE is a well-known fluoropolymer used for nonstick surfaces.
Drinking water contamination : The presence of unwanted substances in water intended for human consumption. PFAS contamination of drinking-water supplies has prompted monitoring and treatment efforts.
Fluoropolymers : Polymers whose molecular structures contain carbon–fluorine bonds. These polymeric materials are included in some PFAS definitions, though definitions differ.
PFAS analysis : Laboratory methods for detecting and quantifying PFAS in samples. Targeted tests measure selected compounds, while broader methods seek to capture more fluorinated material.
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