Since teflon was invented in 1938, the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has exploded, leaving researchers studying the consequences struggling to catch up. Today, these “forever chemicals,” named for their stubborn persistence in both our environment and our bodies, are found in smartphone screens, yoga pants, furniture, paint, and more.
Now, new research published in Environmental Science & Technology shows babies were exposed to more forever chemicals than previously thought.
Studying umbilical cord blood collected from children born between 2003 and 2006, Shelley H. Liu of Mount Sinai and her team used a nontargeted approach to detect PFAS rather than screening from a pre-defined list. Casting a wider net allowed them to detect a wider array of PFAS in the blood, and they discovered 42 confirmed or possible forever chemicals, many of which aren’t typically screened for. While the health effects of a lot of these chemicals remain unknown, PFAS have been linked to pregnancy complications, developmental defects, low birth weight, cancer, and more.
Read more: “How All Those Forever Chemicals End Up on Your Plate”
“Our findings suggest that how we measure PFAS really matters,” Liu said in a statement. “When we look more comprehensively, we see that babies are exposed to far more PFAS chemicals before birth than we previously realized—and some of the patterns we thought we understood may change.”
It’s a startling finding, but Liu hopes this new framework will provide some solid ground to give researchers room to run.
“For now, this work helps lay the scientific foundation,” Liu explained. “Our goal is to move toward earlier identification and prevention, especially during sensitive windows like pregnancy.”
Going forward, Liu identified several promising pathways for future research, including investigating the health effects of these understudied chemicals and whether higher exposure levels early in life lead to further complications down the line.
After all, the infants whose cord blood was sampled in the study are now 20-somethings. 
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Lead image: Chanerin / Shutterstock
