Understanding PFAS Part 1 of 3

PFAS are in the news on a daily basis. But what are PFAS and what consumer products contain PFAS? In these short videos we provide some basic information about PFAS. If you need more in depth information such as site assessment or remediation, go to our website at www.dragun.com or contact our office at 248-932-0228.
PFAS are a class of chemicals, there are about 3000 of them in total. PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances. They were developed back in the 1930s, and they are defined by a chain of carbons, and each of those carbons has multiple fluorine atoms attached to them. The reason they were developed is for the properties of water resistance, oil resistance, friction resistance and temperature resistance. So they have ended up in a lot of consumer products over the years. Anything that is stain or water resistant has PFAS as part of that. You hear some that has Scotchgard or Gortex, things like jackets, boots, carpets. upholstery on furniture or car seats, those all have PFAS. Also, anything that has Teflon, so pans that are non-stick, pipe wraps, have PFAS. Its also found in a lot of consumer products like makeup, and sunscreen. One of the most common ways PFAS has been used in AFFF (A triple F) which stands for Aqueous Film Forming Foam. This is used to fight fires that are generally fuel related. So you will find that at airports, gas stations, chemical plants, military bases, anywhere there is a lot of fuel storage. Typically, you will have foam fire fighting system.