The more scientists learn about the health risks of PFAS, found in everything from nonstick cookware to carpets to ski wax, the more concerning these “forever chemicals” become.
From the U.S. flag being raised on Iwo Jima to Muhammad Ali’s knockout blow of Sonny Liston and from horrified students at Kent State to the flight of the Wright brothers, photographs have documented vital moments in American history over the last 185 years.
Chemists invented PFAS in the 1930s to make life easier: Nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant carpet were all made possible by PFAS. But, in recent years, the growing number of health risks found to be connected to these chemicals has become increasingly alarming.
It was a scene right out of the 1975 blockbuster movie “Jaws,” only this was real, and humans contributed to the cause: On the Saturday of last Labor Day weekend, at a lake in north-central Pennsylvania, the lifeguards suddenly jumped off their elevated chairs, repeatedly blew their whistles and ordered all swimmers at the location they were guarding to get to land immediately.