{"id":10831,"date":"2025-07-30T09:28:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T07:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/?p=10831"},"modified":"2025-07-30T13:25:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T11:25:58","slug":"what-are-pfas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/2025\/07\/30\/what-are-pfas\/","title":{"rendered":"What are PFAS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"10831\" class=\"elementor elementor-10831\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f38dffd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f38dffd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4df5b2a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4df5b2a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>By Nicolas Bekaert, founder of Aquacycle<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Introduction: What are PFAS?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are a vast group of synthetic chemicals - there are over 4,700 of them - used on a massive scale since the 1940s in industry, commerce and consumer products.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Entirely man-made, these substances do not occur naturally. PFASs feature extremely strong carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds, among the strongest in organic chemistry. This makes them highly resistant to heat, chemicals and environmental degradation. Because of this persistence, they are often nicknamed <strong>\"Eternal pollutants<\/strong> (<em>forever chemicals<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f49d566 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f49d566\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4c80d4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c4c80d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"606\" height=\"280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_1.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10835\" alt=\"Fig. 1: General structure of non-polymeric and perfluorinated PFAS.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_1.png 606w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_1-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_1-18x8.png 18w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_1-600x277.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Fig. 1: General structure of non-polymeric and perfluorinated PFAS.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c29c1f3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c29c1f3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFAS are highly prized for their unique physico-chemical properties: they are both water- and oil-repellent, and highly resistant to high temperatures, stains, grease and corrosion. Their versatility explains their presence in over 100 sectors, including non-stick cookware, waterproof textiles, fire-fighting foams, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics, medical devices, electronics, aeronautics and construction. Annual worldwide production of certain PFAS - such as fluoropolymers - reaches several hundred thousand tonnes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2876b4e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2876b4e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5aa0b6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5aa0b6a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"418\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10838\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 418px) 100vw, 418px\" data-srcset=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f62a749 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f62a749\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What makes PFAS particularly worrying is that they do not degrade naturally. Surprisingly, there is still no universally accepted definition of PFASs, which complicates their regulation. Yet their ubiquity, durability and potential toxicity put them at the heart of environmental and public health debates.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b0fab46 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b0fab46\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11d73a2 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"11d73a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9aedfd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a9aedfd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PFAS contamination<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">How PFAS contaminate the environment<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">La pollution par les PFAS ne provient pas d\u2019une seule source \u2014 elle en a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">plusieurs<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the most important is <strong>the industry<\/strong>. For decades, factories have been releasing PFASs such as PFOS or PFOA into the air, water or soil, particularly during manufacturing processes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Another major source is <strong>fire-fighting foam<\/strong>These are used in airports, military bases and training centers. These foams (called <strong>AFFF<\/strong>) contain PFAS, which leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Visit <strong>everyday products<\/strong> containing PFAS - non-stick pans, water-repellent textiles, food packaging - also become sources of pollution when they are thrown away. In landfills, PFAS can <strong>escape slowly<\/strong> and pollute nearby soil or water. They can even travel through the air and settle on the ground. <strong>far from their point of origin<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-293376f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"293376f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56167e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"56167e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/foreverpollution.eu\/map\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"510\" height=\"496\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_3.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10836\" alt=\"pfas_aquacycle\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_3.png 510w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_3-300x292.png 300w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_3-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">\ud83d\udd17 Interactive map: https:\/\/foreverpollution.eu\/map<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d59a8ff e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d59a8ff\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-91a54cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"91a54cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This European map lists sites already confirmed as contaminated by PFAS. Yet much of this pollution remains invisible. Analyses are expensive, and many areas simply don't have <strong>never been tested<\/strong>. What we see today is undoubtedly only the <strong>tip of the iceberg<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2550c4a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2550c4a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4074280 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"4074280\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20be9f9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"20be9f9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> How PFAS spread in nature<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFAS are both <strong>very persistent<\/strong> and <strong>extremely mobile<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They do not decompose easily in nature and can travel very long distances via the <strong>wind, rain, rivers or oceans<\/strong>. They have even been found in isolated regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76ed161 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"76ed161\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"606\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_4.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10837\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_4.png 606w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_4-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_4-18x9.png 18w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pfas_4-600x305.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42aaec5 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"42aaec5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff7429d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ff7429d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today, experts estimate that <strong>over 100,000 sites in Europe<\/strong> could be affected by PFAS discharges - factories, landfills, airports, wastewater treatment plants, etc. These sources are at the root of the widespread contamination we are only now beginning to understand.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ef59d9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4ef59d9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-90d4965 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"90d4965\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-997c709 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"997c709\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> PFAS in water and food<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><strong>L\u2019eau<\/strong> est l\u2019un des principaux vecteurs des PFAS vers l\u2019environnement et, par extension, vers <strong>nos corps.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFAS dissolve in water and spread easily via the <strong>rivers, water tables<\/strong> and <strong>lakes<\/strong>. This makes<strong>drinking water<\/strong> one of the main modes of exposure for the population. Even at low doses, regular consumption can lead to <strong>heavy accumulation in the blood<\/strong> It is estimated that regular consumption of water containing PFOA (a PFAS subgroup) can lead to high blood levels. <strong>up to 100 times higher<\/strong> to those present in water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Visit <strong>fish and seafood<\/strong> are categorized as the most contaminated food source due to biomagnification. PFAS accumulate in their tissues as they live in polluted waters. The larger the species (eating smaller fish) or the longer they live, the higher the concentration. And since seafood products are widely consumed, this constitutes a <strong>direct route of contamination for humans<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A major study published in 2024 in the journal <em>Nature<\/em>based on over 17,000 food samples, revealed that :<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Visit <strong>fish and shellfish<\/strong> were the most contaminated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">L'<strong>drinking water<\/strong> came in second.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFASs therefore spend <strong>factories and landfills<\/strong> at <strong>rivers<\/strong>to <strong>fields<\/strong>to <strong>oceans<\/strong>...then <strong>on our plates and in our glasses<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd5fd25 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"cd5fd25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a58fb4e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a58fb4e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2401f77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2401f77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What are the health risks associated with PFAS?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFAS are now present everywhere - in the environment and in food.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">Le vrai probl\u00e8me, c\u2019est qu\u2019une fois dans le corps, les PFAS <strong>s\u2019accumulent avec le temps<\/strong>. Notre organisme ne sait pas les \u00e9liminer efficacement. R\u00e9sultat : m\u00eame de petites expositions r\u00e9p\u00e9t\u00e9es peuvent entra\u00eener des niveaux \u00e9lev\u00e9s dans le sang.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Research shows that PFAS can have <strong>serious health effects<\/strong>. Among the risks identified :<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Stunted growth and developmental disorders in children<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reduced fertility<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Disruption of the hormonal system<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increased cholesterol<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Weakening of the immune system<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increased risk of certain cancers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Although not all PFASs have yet been studied, scientists agree that <strong>caution is the order of the day<\/strong>. With thousands of different substances, it's hard to know which are the most toxic - a real headache for health authorities.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b98eaa7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b98eaa7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4aa15ff elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"4aa15ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ad6d58 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6ad6d58\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How can PFAS pollution be managed?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For decades, PFAS have made our daily lives easier: nonstick frying pans, waterproof textiles, resistant packaging... But today, we know that these products also have an impact on the environment. <strong>dark side<\/strong> They endanger our health and the environment in the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the main challenges is that <strong>thousands of different PFAS<\/strong>but only a few, such as PFOA and PFOS, have actually been studied. At present, <strong>only 20 types<\/strong> of PFAS are systematically analyzed in European drinking water. Although these are identified as the most worrying, it is <strong>little<\/strong> compared to <strong>4 700<\/strong> that we know exists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Given the extreme persistence of these substances and the uncertainty about their effects, many experts are calling for <strong>apply the precautionary principle<\/strong> Limiting the use of PFAS <strong>even if we don't yet know all the risks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>&gt; What you can do at your level :<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Stay informed.<\/strong> The subject of PFAS will become central in the years to come.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Read the labels.<\/strong> Avoid products likely to contain them (stoves, packaging, cosmetics).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Filter your water.<\/strong> Only <strong>reverse osmosis<\/strong> are effective (up to 99 % elimination), even at low concentrations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PFAS is a <strong>global challenge<\/strong>But thanks to awareness, scientific advances and ambitious political decisions, we have the means to start solving this problem.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ed8acc e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7ed8acc\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19fafb0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"19fafb0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sources :<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Eternal pollutants card : <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pdh.cnrs.fr\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/pdh.cnrs.fr\/fr\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ARTICLE Nature : \"Comprehensive analysis of PFAS presence from environment to plate\". <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41538-024-00319-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41538-024-00319-1?utm_source=chatgpt.com<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><u>ARTICLE : PFAS molecules: a major concern for human health and the environment<\/u><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ARTICLE: Toxicity and human health review<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ARTICLE : PFAS: forever chemicals-persistent, bioaccumulative and mobile. Reviewing the status and the need for their phase out and remediation of contaminated sites<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7b4be4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e7b4be4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3311556 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3311556\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a36701e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"a36701e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76e63ea elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon elementor-view-default elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"76e63ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-water\" viewbox=\"0 0 576 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M562.1 383.9c-21.5-2.4-42.1-10.5-57.9-22.9-14.1-11.1-34.2-11.3-48.2 0-37.9 30.4-107.2 30.4-145.7-1.5-13.5-11.2-33-9.1-46.7 1.8-38 30.1-106.9 30-145.2-1.7-13.5-11.2-33.3-8.9-47.1 2-15.5 12.2-36 20.1-57.7 22.4-7.9.8-13.6 7.8-13.6 15.7v32.2c0 9.1 7.6 16.8 16.7 16 28.8-2.5 56.1-11.4 79.4-25.9 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 23.3 14.2 50.9 23.3 79.1 25.8 9.1.8 16.7-6.9 16.7-16v-31.6c.1-8-5.7-15.4-13.8-16.3zm0-144c-21.5-2.4-42.1-10.5-57.9-22.9-14.1-11.1-34.2-11.3-48.2 0-37.9 30.4-107.2 30.4-145.7-1.5-13.5-11.2-33-9.1-46.7 1.8-38 30.1-106.9 30-145.2-1.7-13.5-11.2-33.3-8.9-47.1 2-15.5 12.2-36 20.1-57.7 22.4-7.9.8-13.6 7.8-13.6 15.7v32.2c0 9.1 7.6 16.8 16.7 16 28.8-2.5 56.1-11.4 79.4-25.9 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 23.3 14.2 50.9 23.3 79.1 25.8 9.1.8 16.7-6.9 16.7-16v-31.6c.1-8-5.7-15.4-13.8-16.3zm0-144C540.6 93.4 520 85.4 504.2 73 490.1 61.9 470 61.7 456 73c-37.9 30.4-107.2 30.4-145.7-1.5-13.5-11.2-33-9.1-46.7 1.8-38 30.1-106.9 30-145.2-1.7-13.5-11.2-33.3-8.9-47.1 2-15.5 12.2-36 20.1-57.7 22.4-7.9.8-13.6 7.8-13.6 15.7v32.2c0 9.1 7.6 16.8 16.7 16 28.8-2.5 56.1-11.4 79.4-25.9 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 56.5 34.6 137 34.1 192 0 23.3 14.2 50.9 23.3 79.1 25.8 9.1.8 16.7-6.9 16.7-16v-31.6c.1-8-5.7-15.4-13.8-16.3z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77d3738 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"77d3738\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">AQUACYCLE\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pure water you can trust<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca7 Pure water you can trust<\/span><br class=\"html-br\" \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca7 Water filtration experts in Brussels<\/span><br class=\"html-br\" \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca7 Sale of systems &amp; filters<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003366;\">@aquacycle.be<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wwww.aquacycle.be\"><span style=\"color: #003366;\">wwww.aquacycle.be<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PFAS are a global challenge, but thanks to awareness, scientific advances and ambitious political decisions, we have the means to start solving the problem.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_metasync_otto_title":"","_metasync_otto_description":"","_metasync_otto_keywords":"","_metasync_otto_og_title":"","_metasync_otto_og_description":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_title":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_description":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Les PFAS sont un d\u00e9fi mondial, mais gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la sensibilisation, aux avanc\u00e9es scientifiques et \u00e0 des d\u00e9cisions politiques ambitieuses, nous avons les moyens de commencer \u00e0 r\u00e9soudre ce probl\u00e8me.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_aioseo_title":"","_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213,147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eau-et-ecologie","category-actualites"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}