Researchers use electron beams to eradicate forever chemicals in water

Re:Researchers use electron beams to eradicate forever chemi... by CastIrony on Friday February 23, 2024 @12:47PM (#39483785)

forever chemicals had one job

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Researchers use electron beams to eradicate forever chemi... by shagie on Friday February 23, 2024 @02:15PM (#39484920)

To be non-interacting with anything... and that makes them rather foreverish.

The problem is that the structure of the PFAS (a fluorocarbon chain with an OH at the end) looks a LOT like a hydrocarbon chain with an OH on the end... that's a saturated fatty acid which is crucial for body metabolism.

Compare the structure of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myristic_acid and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_subst...

This allows the body to accidentally substitute a PFAS (which does nothing) for a fatty acid (which does something - and often important things).

https://www.vox.com/2022/8/25/23318667/pfas-forever-chemical...

So yes, it had one job - and it did that job well. It also looks like something that has another job... and does that job really poorly when substituted.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Researchers use electron beams to eradicate forever chemi... by dylan604 on Friday February 23, 2024 @01:43PM (#39484537)

to kill everything? all of the other things were just happy accidents

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Re:Researchers use electron beams to eradicate forever chemi... by RIMMRAMMBUS on Friday February 23, 2024 @02:02PM (#39484771)

AI and non-living tissue will make the problem "supposedly" go away... :D

[ Parent | on HN ]