What to Know About 'Forever Chemicals' if You're Pregnant
Sara Blixt avoided canned tuna – even though it was the food she craved. But tuna meant mercury, a potential threat to her unborn son.
When he was born, she managed to breastfeed for only three months. "I felt like crap," she said.
Three years later, Blixt learned that she and others in her town, Ronneby, Sweden, had extremely high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in their blood. The municipal water supply was contaminated by firefighting foam used on a military base for years.
Blixt had likely passed the PFAS to her children through pregnancy and breastfeeding, and again by mixing formula with tap water.
Today, Sara Blixt is grateful – her children are healthy. Yet research increasingly shows that for many others, PFAS may mean harm: Fetal exposure has been linked to a higher risk of birth defects, liver disease, language disorders, and cancer.
Mothers, too, may get pregnancy complications due to PFAS, research suggests – such as high blood pressure and preeclampsia, a serious condition responsible for over 10% of maternal deaths across the globe. And just like Blixt, they may have trouble breastfeeding, and throw in the towel sooner than they would like.
PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are a class of man-made compounds used in nonstick and waterproof products. They are everywhere: in makeup, cookware, parchment paper, microwaveable popcorn, and rain-proof clothing. We ingest them via contaminated tap water and foods like meat and fish, and we absorb them through the skin.
Our bodies can get rid of PFAS, but slowly: It takes three to five years for the levels of PFOS, a common type of PFAS, to go down by half. "Everyone carries a little bit of PFAS in them," said Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, a reproductive health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dangers During Pregnancy
PFAS are bad news for everyone, but pregnancy is a particularly vulnerable time. "The fetus is going through a lot of important biological changes that can be interrupted, and that can influence the future baby's health," Woodruff said. For mothers, breasts change to prepare for breastfeeding, breathing rate increases, and blood volume expands.
PFAS get transferred to the fetus via the placenta, which provides oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby. "Some toxins sneak through because they're similar in shape and size to things that the fetus might need to grow," said Megan Romano, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. PFAS structurally resemble fatty acids, she said, which could help explain "why they seem to cross the placenta more than some of the other persistent pollutants."
Studies show that depending on the type of PFAS, the fetus receives between 30% and 80% of the mother's blood levels. Over the course of pregnancy, PFAS accumulate in the placenta – so the mother's levels go down after birth. "When you expel the placenta, it takes out a whole bunch of PFAS," Woodruff said. That's good for subsequent children: Several studies have found that the amount of PFAS the baby receives lowers with each birth. (Blood loss during birth also helps clear PFAS from the mother's body.)
PFAS and Lower Birthweight
High prenatal exposure to PFOA, another type of PFAS, has been linked to lower birthweights – studies show reductions of up to 8.8 ounces in babies born to highly exposed mothers.
Low birthweight has been linked to childhood obesity. Romano saw this play out in her research in New Hampshire: Some children who had elevated PFAS exposure were born small, but grew faster than others over the next two to three years, crossing into obese territory. "There may be a metabolic setpoint where your body is like, 'OK, I need to be taking in calories and growing all the time because I'm small and I need to catch up.' And then that doesn't really turn off when you do catch up," Romano said.
Several theories could explain why PFAS may affect birthweight. Animal research shows that forever chemicals interfere with how the mother's body handles fats, which then affects the baby's liver. (Negative effects on liver metabolism have been found in human fetuses, too.) PFAS also throws off maternal blood circulation, potentially affecting the placenta, the baby's nutrition center. "More than likely, it's all of the above," Romano said.
More Dangers: Cancer, Immunity, Brain Development
The negative effects of PFAS don't end with birth. A 2024 Finnish study showed that if a mother has elevated blood levels of one type of PFAS (found, for example, in some low pile carpets), her children are at a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. A June study found that children exposed to high PFAS levels in the womb have 17% higher risk of high blood pressure as teenagers.
Other research links prenatal PFAS exposure with weaker vaccination response, suggesting children's immune systems may not be working as well as they should. A 2025 study found that babies exposed to PFAS during pregnancy grow up to be infection-prone kids.
Brain development may be affected, too. In Denmark, parents of children who came into contact with PFAS before birth reported more behavioral problems, from restlessness to temper tantrums. In Sweden, researchers found that highly exposed children from Ronneby were more likely to have a developmental language disorder. (This could mean limited vocabulary or challenges understanding spoken language.)
"Language development is a marker of general neural development," said Christel Nielsen, PhD, an epidemiologist at Lund University, Sweden, and one of the study's authors. "It could be a signal that this child might need more support to develop its full potential."
The Breast Milk Connection
Besides the placenta, PFAS can transfer to the infant through breast milk, although less efficiently, Nielsen said. In one study of Norwegian toddlers, the children's PFOS and PFOA levels increased by 3% to 5% per month of breastfeeding.
The milk itself may be less nutritious. Romano's recent study showed that breast milk from women exposed to PFAS contained more saturated fatty acids and n-6 fatty acids – not ideal. The milk also had lower levels of lactose. "On average, if there is a higher lactose content in the milk, it means that you're producing more," Romano said. This could explain why women who were exposed to PFAS during pregnancy are often unable to breastfeed for as long as they'd like.
But breastfeeding parents should not be discouraged, even if they were highly exposed to forever chemicals, both Romano and Nielsen agree. Breast milk boosts the immune system, helps the brain develop, and feeds the friendly gut microflora, potentially offsetting the negative impacts of PFAS.
So How Can You Avoid Forever Chemicals?
Dodging PFAS completely is tough, but you can reduce your exposure. Choose cookware made of "glass, cast iron, stainless steel, non-coated," Woodruff said. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer animal products – meat and fish contain more forever chemicals than do plants. Skip microwave popcorn – which combines PFAS (used in the bag lining) with high temperatures and fat for a particularly unhealthy mix.
PFAS can enter through the skin. So waterproof clothing and flame-retardant textiles can be sources. Go easy on makeup, especially foundation: In one study, people who usually wore it had over 50% higher levels of certain PFAS in their blood.
If you're pregnant, don't paint or remodel that baby room yourself: Some wallpaper, paint, and carpeting contain PFAS – although PFAS-free alternatives exist. "It's better to be safe than sorry," said Woodruff, whose team compiled a list of evidence-based tips.
How can you know if you've been highly exposed? There are U.S. and European water-contamination maps. Some jobs, like firefighters or workers who make or handle PFAS-containing materials, are linked to a higher risk. If you're concerned, you can ask your doctor for a PFAS blood test – though the cost can be high and access to the tests can vary.
One potential hope for those with high PFAS levels is a drug called cholestyramine, which has long been used for lowering cholesterol. Early studies suggest the drug helps the body recognize PFAS as a harmful substance and prevents it from being reabsorbed in the liver. A clinical trial found that it may decrease PFAS blood levels by 15% to 60%. The results are "promising," said Nielsen, and targeting highly exposed women before their first child "would be a top priority." But more research is needed before scientists can recommend the drug to the general population.
Above all, women shouldn't blame themselves for PFAS, Woodruff said. "This problem was made by the chemical manufacturing industry." What we now need is for the government to step in and regulate PFAS as a class, she said: Otherwise, we may drive ourselves crazy trying to figure out ways to avoid these chemicals. And the last thing parents-to-be need is more stress – which, by the way, is not best for the baby, either.
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Wastewater sites can also leech PFAs into the water. The chemicals have been linked to serious health issues including liver damage, some cancers and harm to unborn children, thyroid disease and fertility issues. Large-scale studies have shown that PFAs in drinking water correlates with increased levels of cancer in multiple parts of the body. A review in the journal eBioMedicine linked PFAs exposure to decreased efficiency in vaccines, premature birth, increased severity of COVID-19, along with cancer, reduced immune function and developmental delays in children. Water companies in England and Wales must monitor and regulate 48 types of PFAs, despite there being thousands of varieties, with many remaining untested. But this Drinking Water Inspectorate ruling actually goes further than EU legislation. Individual PFAs concentrations in drinking water cannot exceed 100 nanograms per litre (ng/L). This is 10 times higher than the Drinking Water Inspectorate's own 'low risk' threshold of 10 ng/L. In the US, there are limits of 4 ng/L for each of PFOS and PFOA, two of the most common PFAs, and the EU states that 20 widespread PFAs must collectively not exceed 100 ng/L. The Royal Society of Chemistry has called for new limits on the amounts of PFAs permissible in drinking water. Specifically the RSC has called for a new limit of 10 ng/L for individual PFAs. The RSC has also called for stricter controls over the sources of PFAs including in industrial discharges, with a national chemicals regulator to monitor and regulate discharges. Sims says: 'An RSC survey of more than 4,000 UK adults, carried out by YouGov in August showed nine in ten Britons believe it's 'very important' to keep PFAS out of our food, water and environment. The public do want action on this, which I think is really powerful when it comes to speaking to the government. 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Natalie Sims, from the Royal Society of Chemistry, told Yahoo News: 'There is more that could be being done, and that is why we are calling for action.' The Royal Society of Chemistry has mapped levels of the chemicals in Britain's drinking waters, and is calling for the public to take action to raise the issue. 'The public can be really powerful, and I think we have seen that when we look at tackling sewage overflows, that's really been pushed up the government agenda, because the public is also pushing for it," Sims says. 'That's why we really want to take action now, and that's why there's been much more push for it from organisations like ourselves or others. In addition to developing alternative materials, we urgently need stronger, more robust controls to prevent further pollution and reduce our exposure to harmful substances in the environment.' PFAs are a group of thousands of chemicals that don't occur in nature and are extremely hard to get rid of. They also also toxic, even in small quantities. They have been used in manufacturing and consumer products since the 1940s. 'We've used them so extensively, really since the 1940s they found our way in so many different consumer products," Sims explains. "For example, in your waterproof coat, anything waterproofing, school children's clothing, anything stain resistant. PFAs have some desirable properties, and are so good at what they do in terms of that heat resistance, that water and oil resistance, stain resistance, durability, often a lot of the things that makes it very useful in products. 'Because they're so persistent, they obviously found their way into the environment, into our food, into our water. They are also used in jet engines, medical devices, refrigeration systems, the construction industry and electrical devices. In the environment, they can last for extremely long periods: hundreds or even thousands of years. They also accumulate in human bodies. 'Forever chemicals' have been phased out of some consumer products - but are still used in products such as non-stick frying pans and some packaging, although manufacturers tend to be reluctant to say exactly where they are used. The dangers attached to PFAs often comes when they are used industrially, or when products containing PFAs are disposed of inadequately, meaning they enter the water supply. In the UK, PFAs are most likely to be found in water near industrial sites including airports and areas that produce products which use PFAs. The Royal Society of Chemistry warns that contamination is likely near landfill sites where liquid contaminated with PFAs can leak out of the site, or near incinerators which often are not hot enough to fully burn PFAs. The chemicals can also be found near where firefighting foam is routinely used, including airports, military sites and fire-training areas. 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Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
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The U.S. Has a ‘Forever Chemicals' Problem. A French Company Is Cleaning It Up.
Drinking water in Delaware is now being cleaned by one of the largest 'forever chemicals' treatment centers in the country. Veolia, a French waste-management giant and the largest private water operator in the U.S., launched the facility on Wednesday. Boasting almost the same size as a hockey rink, it is the company's largest plant yet to clean PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—more commonly known as forever chemicals. PFAS linger in the environment for years, permeating the environment, including drinking water. Veolia already has 34 facilities on a much smaller scale dotted around the country. But the Stanton plant is now processing 30 million gallons of water a day and serving 100,000 residents. The company wants to expand to about 100 such sites in the next few years. Veolia said its revenue for PFAS cleanup grew to €205 million in 2024, just two years after launching the efforts. The tides are turning on some PFAS requirements, however. The Environmental Protection Agency in 2023 set in motion the first federal limits on PFAS in drinking water, which would have mandated municipalities to filter out the chemicals. But in May, under the Trump administration, the agency said it is looking to delay or roll back the Biden administration standards. While environmental and health advocates balked at the shift, some industry groups have said postponements—from a 2029 to a 2031 deadline—would help with preparations. The loosening of Biden-era limits on forever chemicals is surprising given that EPA administrator Lee Zeldin previously broke with many Republicans to support a bill that would have reduced the use of PFAS contamination. The EPA aims to unwind limits on four kinds of PFAS, meaning that only those known as PFOA and PFOS would be regulated going forward. Aside from drinking water, PFAS can also be found in a range of consumer products from food packaging to textiles and cosmetics. Research has linked PFAS exposure to a range of health problems, from cancer to low birth weight in newborns. The chemicals get into the water and soil when they are used for manufacturing, or even from firefighting foam at airports, for example. 'PFAS contamination poses a serious threat to public health, and addressing it at the source is essential,' Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said. The cleaning technology Veolia uses in its water plants depends on the type of PFAS, but the company uses granular activated carbon in large tanks, for example, which is a common treatment method to filter out the chemicals. The Delaware facility has 42 large tanks filled with activated carbon. The PFAS molecules stick to the carbon by grabbing onto tiny crevices that give them a large surface area to attach to. The amount of water flooding into the tanks is monitored to give the molecules enough time to bond. The carbon has to be replaced once it has reached its absorption capacity and then collected by a vendor who can perform a chemical removal process so the carbon could be reused in the tanks. Activated carbon 'is one of the most widely used and effective methods for treating PFAS' said Vasilis Vasiliou, chair of the environmental health sciences department at Yale. But it is 'not a universal solution and has important limitations depending on the PFAS type and treatment goals,' he said. The pros are that it is extensively studied and regulated for drinking water treatment plants, but the cons are that the chemicals are captured rather than broken down, so there is a future contamination risk during disposal. The company worked to make the technology affordable so that communities across the U.S. would be able to invest in it, said Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia's CEO. 'We're not here to be the luxury goods of water treatment,' Brachlianoff said. Public anxiety about PFAS continues to brew as the scale of the problem has come to light. About 45% of tap water contains one or more PFAS, according to a 2023 study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the science arm of the Interior Department. Companies also face a patchwork of state rules to phase out forever chemicals. Recently, Florida and Virginia enacted PFAS cleanup targets for drinking water. And a further wave of states have proposed a variety of drinking water standards for forever chemicals. To complicate matters, the standards of acceptable chemical levels are far from uniform. In Delaware—a state represented by Joe Biden for decades—there is a bill pending that would put water utilities on notice if PFAS exceed certain limits. The water utilities would then have to notify their customers. 'Clean water should be the baseline,' said David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, a consumer research nonprofit, on its website. 'Making water safer begins with ending the unnecessary use of PFAS and holding polluters accountable for cleanup.' The EPA has alluded to holding polluters accountable, but hasn't provided further details at this time. Write to Clara Hudson at
