Scientists find simple, safe method to destroy 'forever chemicals'

Daily items like nonstick pans have long been linked to serious health issues, a result of their toxicity and extreme resistance to being broken down as waste products. Photo: AFP

"Forever chemicals" used in daily items like nonstick pans have long been linked to serious health issues – a result of their toxicity and extreme resistance to being broken down as waste products.

Chemists in the United States and China on Thursday (Aug 18) said they had finally found a breakthrough method to degrade these polluting compounds, referred to as PFAS, using relatively low temperatures and common reagents.