PFAS: The Real Cost Of Inaction

By Martin Bureau, VP Innovation Logistec Environment

The story of PFAS is a fascinating one that begins innocently enough in the early 1900’s with the invention of freon™. The story gets even more interesting with an experiment that changed the world in 1938 when a 27-year-old research chemist at Dupont mixed chemicals expecting one result, and instead discovered Teflon, arguably one of the world’s most important polymer inventions to date and just one of thousands of different types of PFAS-related substances in use around the world today.

Teflon was everywhere and was touted as a game-changer for its non-stick, heat resistant, long service life and durable properties, but as time progressed, some disturbing side-effects began to emerge, both to environmental and human health. By the turn of this century, PFAS had become labelled the “forever chemical” because once they are released in the environment, wherever that is, they are there to stay and can cause serious health issues.