A new study digs into a serious issue many haven’t thought about: destroying toxic PFAS, or “forever chemicals”, might clean up one problem - but create another.
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The researchers found that efforts to eliminate PFAS during waste treatment can still result in harmful air emissions, posing fresh challenges for regulators, industries, and public health.
What Are PFAS and Why Are They So Hard to Get Rid Of?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals used in everyday products such as non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foams. What makes them useful - strong carbon-fluorine bonds - also makes them extremely hard to break down. That’s why they’ve earned the nickname “forever chemicals”.
Once released into the environment, PFAS tend to stick around in soil, water, and even air. Studies have linked them to various health problems, including some cancers. Traditional waste treatment methods just don’t cut it when it comes to PFAS, which has pushed scientists to develop more targeted destruction technologies.
Can We Destroy PFAS Without Polluting the Air?
That’s the question researchers tackled. They reviewed multiple PFAS destruction techniques - such as thermal treatment, incineration, and advanced oxidation - to assess their effectiveness and the emissions they produce.
Using lab experiments, field data, and modeling, they measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, and other hazardous air pollutants. A big focus was on products of incomplete destruction (PIDs) - substances that aren’t fully broken down and can be harmful in their own right.
The study also explored how changing the temperature or adding catalysts can improve destruction rates while reducing harmful by-products.
The Good, the Bad, and the Airborne: What the Study Found
Some PFAS destruction methods are impressively effective, achieving destruction rates of over 99.99 %. But high efficiency doesn’t automatically mean they’re environmentally safe.
Take incineration, for example. It can break down PFAS, but if the process isn’t tightly controlled, it may release hazardous byproducts such as dioxins, furans, and other toxic compounds into the air.
On the other hand, supercritical water oxidation performed better in the study, achieving near full PFAS mineralization with far fewer emissions. Still, even this advanced method isn’t flawless - under certain conditions, it too can release airborne by-products known as PIDs (products of incomplete destruction).
The key message? Destroying PFAS is only part of the equation. Unless emissions are carefully managed at every stage, destruction can unintentionally trade one environmental hazard for another.
Why This Matters Beyond the Lab
These findings aren’t just theoretical; they matter for how we handle PFAS in the real world.
Municipal and hazardous waste facilities need to re-evaluate their treatment systems, especially when PFAS-containing materials are involved. Industries like firefighting foam production and textiles - where PFAS use is still common - can benefit from adopting newer technologies such as hydrothermal alkaline treatment, which offer high destruction rates with fewer harmful emissions.
Policymakers and regulators, meanwhile, have a crucial role to play. As PFAS regulations tighten, it’s no longer enough to focus solely on contamination in water or soil. Air emissions from destruction processes must be part of the conversation to avoid simply shifting pollution from one medium to another.
The bottom line is clear: a method that removes PFAS but releases something just as dangerous into the air isn’t solving the problem - it’s just moving it.
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What Needs to Happen Next
Making PFAS destruction truly sustainable will take a combination of scientific advances and smart regulation.
Researchers must refine methods for detecting and measuring airborne by-products and work toward closing the fluorine mass balance, ensuring no harmful compounds go unaccounted for.
At the same time, regulators must push for strict operational standards and best practices to minimize environmental risks.
Ultimately, it's not just about eliminating PFAS - it's about doing it cleanly, safely, and responsibly.
Journal Reference
Silsby, S. et al. (2026). Air emissions during destruction of PFAS-containing materials. Nat Rev Earth Environ. DOI: 10.1038/s43017-025-00755-x, https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-025-00755-x
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