Are 'Forever Chemicals' Hitching a Ride in Your Bloodstream? What You Need to Know
"New research reveals how PFAS chemicals bind to human serum albumin, potentially spreading these toxins throughout the body."
You've probably heard about "forever chemicals," or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These man-made chemicals are used in everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam, and they don't break down easily in the environment or our bodies. While some PFAS, like PFOS, have been phased out, similar chemicals are still in use, raising concerns about their potential health effects.
One of the biggest worries is how these chemicals travel through our bodies. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in blood, acts like a taxi service, carrying various molecules. Scientists are particularly interested in whether PFAS can bind to HSA and, if so, how this interaction might affect where these chemicals end up in the body.
New research has uncovered that specific PFAS compounds—perfluoroalkane sulfonyl fluorides (PFASFs)—can indeed bind to HSA. The study pinpoints the binding sites on HSA and explores the strength of these interactions, offering valuable insights into how these "forever chemicals" might be distributed and potentially impact our health.
Why PFAS Matter
PFAS are a broad class of synthetic chemicals that can persist in the environment and may enter human exposure pathways. Their presence in everyday materials and environmental media has made them a continuing health and environmental concern. The potential effects vary by compound and exposure context, so individual risk is not uniform.
Assessing PFAS Exposure
PFAS assessment generally relies on measuring chemicals in environmental samples or biological specimens and evaluating likely exposure pathways. These methods can help identify contamination, but they may not capture every compound in the large PFAS family. Interpretation is also limited by differences in chemical properties, exposure levels, and the strength of available health evidence.
From Teflon to Forever Chemicals
In 1938, DuPont invented Teflon, described as a prototypical PFAS. PFAS are synthetic organofluorine compounds whose high chemical and thermal stability gives them long environmental lifetimes, which is why they are commonly called “forever chemicals.” The ITRC describes PFAS as a family of thousands of chemicals that vary widely in their chemical and physical properties and in their potential risks to human health and the environment. PFAS have since been associated with discovery, manufacture, marketing, consumer uses, litigation, regulation, and legislation.
PFAS and HSA: A Close Encounter
The study focused on three PFASFs: PFOSF (perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride), PFHSF (perfluorohexane sulfonyl fluoride), and PFBSF (perfluorobutane sulfonyl fluoride). Researchers used a technique called fluorescence spectroscopy to observe how these chemicals interact with HSA. This method allowed them to identify where the PFASFs bind on the HSA molecule.
- Sudlow's Site I: PFOSF, PFHSF, and PFBSF showed association constants of 2.59 x 10⁻³ μM⁻¹, 4.65 x 10⁻³ μM⁻¹, and 2.85 x 10⁻³ μM⁻¹, respectively.
- Sudlow's Site II: The association constants were 8.68 x 10⁻⁴ μM⁻¹, 3.43 x 10⁻² μM⁻¹, and 1.92 x 10⁻² μM⁻¹ for PFOSF, PFHSF, and PFBSF, respectively.
What Recent Reviews Examine
Recent reviews examine PFAS persistence, environmental accumulation, health impacts, occurrence, regulation, analytical detection, and removal technologies. A 2024 review places the European Commission’s effort to launch what it describes as the largest PFAS restriction proposal in history within the broader problem of global PFAS accumulation and health impacts. A 2025 review focuses specifically on analytical methods for detecting PFAS in water and on the effectiveness and limitations of treatment techniques. Nature characterizes PFAS as emerging contaminants distinguished by persistence and widespread occurrence.
Why the Problem Is Difficult
PFAS are not a single chemical but a group of thousands of manufactured substances, and some have been studied much more extensively than others. The EPA reports that PFAS can occur in drinking water, soil, air, food, and materials in homes and workplaces; PFOA and PFOS are among the more widely used and studied examples. Their persistence and widespread contamination make cleanup and toxicity assessment difficult. Yale similarly describes PFAS as a serious environmental and public health threat because of their persistence and broad contamination.
Alternatives Are Not Automatically Safer
PFAS have been used in more than 10,000 synthetic chemicals and in applications such as nonstick coatings, firefighting foam, and food packaging because they provide heat, water, oil, and stain resistance. Emerging PFAS alternatives may perform similar functions, but their environmental fate and toxicity remain uncertain, according to a 2025 review. The EPA has identified research needs covering safer alternatives, exposure sources and pathways, toxicity, and PFAS removal, destruction, or degradation. This means replacing a legacy PFAS does not by itself establish that the substitute is safer.
What Does This Mean for You?
This research highlights how PFASFs can interact with HSA, a major protein in your blood, potentially affecting how these chemicals are distributed throughout your body. This could have implications for where these chemicals accumulate and what health effects they might cause.
Communicating PFAS Risk
Research comparing expert and non-expert perceptions uses a mental-models approach to examine how people understand PFAS and related issues, including whether consumer items that may contain PFAS are viewed as essential. This comparison matters because public understanding can differ from expert understanding. Yale experts likewise frame PFAS as a challenge requiring both exposure reduction and broader solutions. Effective communication therefore needs to explain persistence, exposure, uncertainty, and practical choices without treating every PFAS compound or exposure as identical.
Regulation Meets New Demand
PFAS policy is developing alongside continued industrial demand. The UK government describes PFAS as one of the most pressing chemical challenges of the time and has published a plan focused on building a safer future. At the same time, a campaign organization warned in The Guardian of a “tidal wave” of new PFAS production intended to meet demand from the artificial-intelligence industry and data centres. The tension between reducing exposure and expanding uses is likely to shape future regulation, monitoring, and substitution efforts.
A Widespread Chemical Challenge
PFAS concerns extend beyond individual products because the chemicals can move through interconnected systems involving manufacturing, consumer use, waste, water, soil, and air. Addressing the problem requires coordination among regulators, manufacturers, researchers, communities, and consumers. The scale and diversity of the PFAS family also make it difficult to evaluate chemicals one at a time. Progress is therefore likely to depend on prevention, better measurement, safer substitutions, and effective remediation.
From Limited Awareness to Public Concern
The Environmental Working Group says its fight against PFAS reaches back 20 years and recalls that, two decades ago, public awareness of PFAS was largely associated with Teflon. A case-study collection from the ITRC documents PFAS investigations such as data visualization at an aqueous film-forming foam release site and research into remediation-related changes in subsurface PFAS distribution. Reporting by Time describes a 2020 investigation by researchers from UCSF and the University of Colorado into industry documents, including possible silence or cover-up concerning PFAS dangers. Together, these accounts show how PFAS concerns connect public awareness, contaminated sites, scientific investigation, and questions about corporate disclosure.
While more research is needed, this study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that PFAS chemicals can have far-reaching effects. Understanding how these chemicals interact with our bodies is a crucial step in assessing and mitigating their potential risks.
By demonstrating that PFASFs bind non-covalently to HSA, this research provides a theoretical basis for further toxicological and distribution studies of PFASFs in humans. This information is vital for developing strategies to reduce exposure and minimize the potential harm from these persistent environmental contaminants.