Bad decisions can have long-lasting consequences.

One here in Maine was the application of industrial sludge containing PFAS to nearby farmlands. At the time, it was touted as form of recycling. Today, you don’t dare drink water drawn from the wells.

The problem’s not unique to Maine.

Here’s the take.

1. These ” perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” more commonly known as “forever chemicals” or “forever pollutants,” have been around since the 1940s. As the nicknames suggest, they don’t break down naturally. They may take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose.
2. There are more than 9,000 known PFAS compounds, with 600 currently used in the U.S. in countless products to make them resistant to oil, heat, stain, or water.
3. They’re found in everything from cosmetics and outdoor gear to firefighting foam and carpet treatments to non-stick pans and other cookware to dental floss and food wrappers and even fast food.
4. They’re found in water, the ground, the air, the ocean floor, wildlife, and the human body.
5. In humans, they’re seen leading to higher risk for kidney or testicular cancer, increased cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced preeclampsia, and damage to the liver and immune system.
6. The Department of Defense has allocated $1.5 billion for cleanup at its sites around the country.
7. PFAS have been reported in thousands of private wells near military facilities, while a recent report concludes that they’re likely found in the most of the public water Americans drink. Other studies report slightly lower rates.
8. Researchers are searching for ways to filter them out of the water supplies, but that leads to another problem: What do you do with the stuff left behind in the filter? It won’t go away.
9. Incinerating it has similar risks. Breaking up the longer strands can result in shorter strands, that would then pollute the air, soil, and water. And some, like Teflon, can withstand temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. The use of ultraviolet radiation and possibly microbes to break down the substances is emerging as an affordable glimmer of hope.