Is Your Clothing Drenched in ‘Forever Chemicals’?

PFAS have been found in a number of popular brands of workout wear. Brook Chen/Shutterstock

The term dressed to kill has taken on a whole new meaning.

Dangerous chemicals are now so ubiquitous they are in our water supply, the food we eat, and even—the clothing we wear.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS stands for the almost impossible-to-pronounce perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—also known as “forever chemicals.” The reason they are called “forever chemicals” is that they don’t “break down” in the environment but rather “build up,” or bioaccumulate, in fish, wildlife, and humans. PFAS represent a group of thousands of man-made chemicals used in a number of industries and are found in a large number of household products, from carpets to dental floss.