PFAS: forever chemicals

AAHMS calls for a national biomonitoring program to track the health impacts of forever chemicals.

The Academy of Health and Medical Sciences has made four recommendations to the Senate Select Committee on PFAS, on how Australian policy and decision makers could respond to the challenge of monitoring and mitigating for these ‘forever chemicals’ and their potential health impacts.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of almost 15,000 synthetic chemicals that are ubiquitously present in the environment – including in drinking water, the food supply, and household products. PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their strong carbon-fluoride bonds, which make them highly durable, able to persist in the environment for decades and build up in human and animal bodies over time.

Read our full submission below.