Ditching PFAS chemicals requires reality check, scientists argue

An accelerating move by industry to transition off of hazardous “forever chemicals” poses its own dangers, a new paper has found.

But coordination, creative thinking and a proactive approach can help guide a speedy transition to safer materials while avoiding a “regrettable” pivot to equally harmful chemicals, researchers wrote Thursday in Science.

The article focuses on both the urgency and difficulty of replacing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a broad class of...