The Shocking History of PFAS
You carefully check your skincare labels for parabens and sulfates. You look for "clean" and "natural" brands. But would you ever think to connect the lotions and potions in your bathroom cabinet to the development of the atomic bomb?
It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it's a historical fact. The story of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the notorious "forever chemicals," begins in the crucible of World War II and leads directly to the products we use every day. This is the hidden history of how a wartime miracle became a modern-day health crisis.
The Manhattan Project's "Secret Weapon"
In the early 1940s, scientists on the top-secret Manhattan Project faced a massive problem: they needed to enrich uranium for the first atomic bomb. This process involved highly corrosive uranium hexafluoride gas, which would eat through virtually any material.
Enter a then-obscure chemical company: DuPont. They had developed a revolutionary substance—a perfluorinated polymer that was incredibly resistant to heat, water, and corrosion. This substance, a type of PFAS, was used in seals and gaskets in the uranium processing plants at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It was one of the few materials that could contain the corrosive process, making it a small but critical component in the birth of the nuclear age [1].
The project was a success, but the genie was out of the bottle. Industry now had a class of miraculously durable chemicals.
From Warfare to Everyday Life: The "Miracle" of Teflon
The most famous PFAS child of this era was Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), better known by its brand name: Teflon.
While discovered accidentally in 1938, its development was accelerated by the war effort. After the war, DuPont and 3M began mass-producing these chemicals for consumer goods. Their resistance to heat, water, and grease made them perfect for:
- Non-stick cookware (Teflon pans)
- Stain-resistant carpets and fabrics (Scotchgard)
- Water-repellent clothing (Gore-Tex)
They were marketed as miracles of modern science—and consumers believed it. For decades, we happily cooked on non-stick surfaces and sprayed our shoes with waterproofing sprays, completely unaware of the dark side of these "miracle" compounds.
The Iceberg of Toxicity Begins to Surface
The "forever" nature of PFAS—the very quality that made them so useful—is also what makes them so dangerous. They don't break down in the environment or in our bodies.
The first major red flags came from the companies themselves. Internal memos from as early as the 1960s show that 3M and DuPont knew these chemicals could build up in blood and cause health harm to laboratory animals [2]. Yet, this information was not made public.
The truth began to leak out through litigation and investigative journalism, most famously chronicled in the film Dark Waters. It was revealed that for decades, companies had knowingly dumped PFAS waste, contaminating water supplies and leading to devastating health clusters in communities near their plants.
We now know that exposure to certain PFAS like PFOA (used in Teflon) and PFOS (used in Scotchgard) is linked to:
- Increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer
- Liver damage
- Weakened immune system response
- Thyroid disease
- Developmental problems in infants and children
The Modern-Day Whack-a-Mole in Your Skincare
As the dangers of PFOA and PFOS became public knowledge, they were largely phased out of production in the early 2000s. But with over 15,000 PFAS compounds in existence, the industry simply played a game of chemical whack-a-mole.
This is where your skincare comes in.
Many cosmetics and skincare products now contain other, less-studied PFAS. They are used for their "slip" and water-resistant properties, found in:
- Foundations and concealers
- Liquid lipsticks (for long-wear)
- Moisturizers (to create a film on the skin)
- Waterproof mascara
A 2021 study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters found high levels of organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS, in many cosmetic products, with foundations and liquid lipsticks being the worst offenders [3].
Even more alarming? Many of these products are marketed as "long-wear," "waterproof," or "durable"—clues that often point to PFAS content. And because of lax labeling laws, they often don't list these chemicals by name on the ingredient list.
How to Protect Yourself: The Modern Antidote
The legacy of the atomic bomb is a world saturated with persistent chemicals. But you are not powerless.
- Read Beyond the "PFOA-Free" Label: This is a meaningless distraction. Look for products that are explicitly "PFAS-Free" or state "No Fluorinated Compounds."
- Be Wary of "Performance" Claims: Be skeptical of "long-wear," "waterproof," and "stain-resistant" claims in makeup and skincare.
- Support Transparent Brands: Look for brands that are certified by third parties like EWG Verified or that openly disclose their full ingredient testing.
- Demand Action: Support legislation that calls for a class-based ban on all PFAS chemicals in consumer products.
The thread connecting the atomic bomb to your skincare is a story of innovation, secrecy, and a delayed reckoning with toxicity. By understanding this history, we can make informed choices and demand a cleaner, safer future.
Sources:
[1] Blum, A. (2019). The Teflon Toxin: How DuPont Slipped Past the EPA. The Intercept.
[2] Rich, N. (2016). The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare. The New York Times Magazine.
[3] Whitehead, H. D., et al. (2021). Fluorinated Compounds in North A