Adelaide researchers hope new light-activated material will help combat PFAS 'forever chemicals'

Adelaide researchers say they have developed a new method to combat PFAS, with the hopes it could one day be used to help clean up the environment.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of almost 15,000 synthetic chemicals that have been used in a range of industrial and domestic products since the 1950s .

What are PFAS chemicals? And what do they mean for our health? Photo shows Close-up of a restaurant waiter handing over food packets to a woman customer.

PFAS chemicals are used in a vast number of waterproof, non-stick and stain-resistant products. But concerns about their environmental and potential health impacts have intensified in recent years.

The durability of PFAS chemicals also means they can persist in the environment for decades, and build up in th