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forever chemical

noun

Etymology

From forever + chemical. From being a chemical compound which is highly unlikely to break down.

Definitions

  1. Synonym of PFAS (“perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance”).

    • Forever chemicals have infiltrated water across 43 states nationwide, impacting the drinking supply of about 19 million Americans.
    • These are the Keith Richards of chemicals, known as forever chemicals because they can survive for years without really breaking down.
    • Some of the most commonly used PFAS chemicals, like PFOS and PFOA (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid) have long half-lives, earning them the moniker the forever chemical.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for forever chemical. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA