There’s a growing understanding of the health threats of PFAS chemicals in what we eat and drink.

They’re called “forever chemicals” because they basically never break down. They’re linked to ailments including liver disease, certain types of cancers and delayed development in children.

It’s now becoming apparent that these synthetic chemicals, collectively known by the acronym PFAS, have also been unwittingly spread on American farmland for years through the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer. That sludge can have high concentrations of such chemicals.

The most common way that people are exposed is likely by eating contaminated food or water, according to the federal government.

What does this mean for personal health? Here’s what we know and don’t know.

How widespread are PFAS in food?

It’s unclear the extent to which PFAS are reaching the food we consume, whether from sludge-treated farmland or from other sources. PFAS have been widely used for years in things like

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Energy & Environment.