As government regulators focused on reigning in air pollution, companies were busy generating new sources of pollution, including plastics and PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals. PFAS, which stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of compounds used, among other things, to make fabric stain-resistant and pans nonstick.
Over time, these modern-era substances — which famously take decades to millennia to degrade — have leached into the environment, reaching every corner of the planet, no matter how tall or deep. Microplastics, PFAS, and some other compounds, such as pesticides, are now so widespread that they’ve essentially become part of our biome, not unlike bacteria or fungi.
They’re so common, in fact, that they’re even found in the rain.
Clickbait title. Sensational, hyperbolic subheading. Not going to bother.
But did we fix acid rain? That’s what caught my eye.
If by fix, you mean, “transform into a soup of industrial runoff, pesticides, PFAS, and a dash of pharmaceuticals.”
Yeah that does seem more likely.
They fixed the visible property damage and that’s apparently what counts
Yeah. I don’t know if it’s completely ceased, but in my part of the world, it is no longer something that scars the environment.
