# PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment or the human body. Used in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam (AFFF), waterproof clothing, and food packaging, PFAS contamination is now detectable in the blood of virtually every American and in water supplies across the country, particularly near military bases and airports where firefighting foam was used for decades. PFAS matters to the vault as a regulatory battleground: the EPA's efforts to set enforceable drinking water standards for PFAS have been opposed by chemical manufacturers and their allies using the same [[Deregulation]] playbook documented elsewhere — industry-funded research questioning health effects, lobbying against regulation, and arguing that cleanup costs would be economically catastrophic. The military dimension (DoD is the largest historical user of PFAS-containing firefighting foam) adds a defense-spending angle that complicates simple left-right regulatory politics. ## See Also - [[Deregulation]] — the policy framework used to resist PFAS regulation - [[Climate Change]] — the parallel environmental regulatory battle