If “forever chemicals” are non-reactive, how are they toxic?
In: Biology
It’s not that they aren’t reactive per se. It’s that they don’t break down (or do so extremely slowly) under ordinary natural conditions.
As an example, CFCs and the like are terrible for the atmosphere because they act as *catalysts* for reactions that break down ozone. Catalysts are chemicals that speed up or help along a reaction, but which don’t get *consumed* by that reaction.
PFAS and PFOA are dangerous because they suppress immune response (amongst other things) without being broken down by our bodies’ metabolisms. Many compounds can have biochemical effects without needing to be *consumed* by our cells. For example, most neurotransmitters are recycled by our cells, so we don’t have to spend as much energy and material making brand new ones.
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