(University of Arizona College of Engineering) For decades, manmade chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were used in everything from carpets to frying pans to firefighting chemicals for their ability to repel water and oil. That was before a wide array of negative health effects ranging from cancer and low birth weights to effects on the immune system were discovered in some kinds of PFAS. UA professor Reyes Sierra is leading a team of researchers who are investigating more effective ways to remove PFAS from drinking water supplies.

Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/uoac-uoa032519.php