Opinion: We're all being poisoned, part I

Forever.

It's wonderful to hear one's spouse or partner proclaim, "I'll love you forever." Or a grateful person may tell you, "I'll be thankful for your kindness, forever." Or, the term is reassuring even in the depersonalized sense that "diamonds are forever." But in 2018, The Washington Post branded certain PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) as "forever chemicals."

According to PubChem, there are about 7 million such substances, and they are all highly suspected of being harmful to human beings. Two subcategories of PFAS are designated PFOS and PFOA. These are the chemicals to which we are most likely to be exposed. They contain more than 9,000 compounds that were introduced by manufacturers beginning in the 1940s.