PFAS

per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Stasis Home Research Every claim on this page is graded against peer-reviewed health research and linked to its primary source.Updated June 2026

PFAS are synthetic 'forever chemicals' that resist breaking down and build up in the body, and drinking water is the route you can filter.

What does PFAS mean?

PFAS are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals built around the carbon-fluorine bond, the strongest single bond in organic chemistry. That bond is why they are called forever chemicals: they do not meaningfully break down in the environment or in the body, so ongoing low-level intake builds body burden over time instead of washing out. Their original jobs were non-stick coatings, stain and water repellents, and firefighting foam. They now turn up in soil, in water, and in the blood of roughly 99 percent of US adults. PFOA and PFOS are the most studied; PFOA is classified by IARC as carcinogenic to humans. In the home, PFAS is a source-water contaminant, meaning it enters the supply upstream rather than from your pipes, so the place you can act is the water you drink and the filter on it.