Known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the group of around 12,000 different chemicals are commonly found in non-stick cookware, waterproof cosmetics, firefighting foams and products that resist grease and oil.
But despite their utility, they have been associated with dangerous health effects in humans, livestock and the environment.
Scientists have been experimenting with many remediation technologies, but most of them require extremely high temperatures, special chemicals or ultraviolet light and sometimes produce by-products that are also harmful and require additional steps to remove.
Chemists at UCLA and Northwestern University in the United States have developed a simple way to break down almost a dozen types of these nearly indestructible 'forever chemicals' at relatively low temperatures with no harmful by-products.
The researchers show that in water heated between 80°C to 120°C, common, inexpensive solvents and reagents severed...