THE Chemistry of Convenience Innovative products make life easier but come with a downside

摘要

Imagine scrambling eggs on a sticky pan， or getting caught walking in a downpour without raingear.If you enjoy a juicy takeout burger， picture how messy it would be packaged in regular paper instead of a grease-proof wrapper.These scenarios are very different but share at least one thing in common:the essential stuff that makes these inconveniences disappear.PFAS， or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances， are synthetic chemicals that number in the thousands(some say 5，000;others say 7，000)and are used in a variety of products.They keep food from sticking to pans and wrappers， rain from soaking through jackets， and fires from getting out of hand.But PFAS do have a downside.Because they’re manufactured for use in so many things， PFAS end up in water and soil， and inside us through our diets and absorption through our skin.The substances don’t break down， so they can linger intact， and they persist for years in the environment-thus their nickname”forever chemicals.”