New proposed legislation on "forever" chemicals is under consideration in Europe and the United States, where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a hot topic for regulators and lawmakers. On both sides of the Atlantic, regulation of widely used PFAS has been complex and evolving. Their presence in hundreds of different products-from nonstick cookware to food packaging to firefighting foam-and their persistence in food, drinking water, and the environment have resulted in a pollution problem of unprecedented scale. Recently, for example, it was reported that 45% of the tap water in the United States contains at least one type of PFAS. Because these compounds are so chemically stable that they do not degrade in the environment (including in the human body), PFAS seriously challenge long-established ideas of how chemicals can be used, assessed, and regulated, and it remains to be seen whether the new regulations will solve this problem.

Martin Scheringer is a professor of environmental chemistry at RECETOX Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic and a senior scientist and group leader at ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland He is also the chair of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution and a co coordinator of the Global PFAS Science Panel

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Zürich II Statement on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): Scientific and Regulatory Needs