New water technology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), developed by the university's chemical and biological engineering professor Dr. Madjid Mohseni, has the ability to remove “forever chemicals” from drinking water safely and actually for good.

PFAS (per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), or forever chemicals, are substances used for making products non-stick or stain-resistant, such as cookware, stain repellents, and firefighting foam - which are the cause of health problems, including hormonal disruption, cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and cancer.

Dr. Mohseni, with the aid of his team, developed an adsorbing material with the quality to trap PFAS in a body of water, which then destroys them with electrochemical and photochemical techniques. The techniques are conducted at the Mohseni lab and published recently in the Chemosphere journal.

Read more: US Supreme Court restricts the EPA from limiting toxic gas emissions

Dr. Mohseni clarifies that even though treatments like activated carbon and ion-exchange systems are available to apply in homes, they are not as effective as they don't trap all PFAS. 

“Our adsorbing media captures up to 99% of PFAS particles and can also be regenerated and potentially reused. This means that when we scrub off the PFAS from these materials, we do not end up with more highly toxic solid waste that will be another major environmental challenge.”

From the bottle to the body

Dr. Mohseni further explains that PFAS still find their way into our environmental systems and bodies, despite the fact that Canada is no longer producing them.

When fires are put out using firefighting foam or when raingear is sprayed with stain-repellent martial, the chemicals end up in our water systems. Especially when PFAS-containing cosmetics and sunscreens are applied to our skin, the chemicals could end up being absorbed by the body. 

Dr. Mohseni, who focuses on devising and developing water solutions for rural, remote and Indigenous communities, noted, “Our adsorbing media are particularly beneficial for people living in smaller communities who lack resources to implement the most advanced and expensive solutions that could capture PFAS. These can also be used in the form of decentralized and in-home water treatments.”

Read next: Scale of ‘forever chemical’ pollution across UK and Europe

With that being said, the UBC lab is preparing to launch the new technology at various locations in British Columbia this month.

“The results we obtain from these real-world field studies will allow us to further optimize the technology and have it ready as products that municipalities, industry and individuals can use to eliminate PFAS in their water,” Dr. Mohseni stressed. 

It is worth noting that although the EPA originally issued a warning concerning the presence of PFAS in drinking water in 2001, no national standard has ever been approved.
 
Around 14,000 chemicals, known as PFAS, are frequently employed to shield a range of consumer goods against humidity, heat, and contamination. Due to the fact that these compounds do not naturally decompose, they are referred to as "forever" chemicals.