forever chemical

noun

plural forever chemicals

: a toxic substance and especially a synthetic chemical (as of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances group) that persists and accumulates in the environment

—not used technically

Canadian researchers have discovered high levels of a "forever chemical", used in making toilet paper, in the bodies of endangered killer whales, sparking fears the toxic substance could further harm them.

—Leyland Ceccoin

Landfills, military bases and firefighting training centers also are thought to be sources of forever chemical pollution.

—Sammy Fretwell

—often used in plural

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are colloquially known as "forever chemicals" because they are so difficult to break down.

—Layne Cameron

Forever chemicals are used as surface treatments to block water and stains. In fact, a 2022 report by Toxic-Free Future, an environmental health research and advocacy organization, found that nearly three-quarters of products labeled as water- or stain-resistant tested positive for them.

—Hannah Norman

PFAS, a group of manufactured chemicals commonly used since the 1940s, are called "forever chemicals" for a reason. Bacteria can't eat them; fire can't incinerate them; and water can't dilute them.

—Amanda Morris

Van Zile said many people love a Wisconsin Friday fish fry, but many fish are found with high levels of forever chemicals, such as mercury, and that we're slowly poisoning ourselves.

—Frank Vaisvilas

Examples of forever chemical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Related article Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in pesticides used on food, in homes and on pets, study finds Children are the most suspectable to the dangers of pesticides due to their small size and developing body and brain, experts say. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 11 June 2025

Exposure to environmental toxins such as air pollution, forever chemicals or microplastics could also play a role. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 8 June 2025

New University of Notre Dame research found the forever chemical perfluorohexanoic acid, or PFHxA, in 22 fitness bands and smartwatches made with fluoroelastomer. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2025

The companies have long maintained forever chemicals are not harmful at levels typically found in people. —Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2010, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forever chemical

• electrochemical
• immunochemical
• physicochemical
• physiochemical
• radiochemical
• stereochemical
• academical
• agrochemical
• biochemical
• cytochemical
• geochemical
• histochemical