Toxic "forever chemicals" are threatening skiers and snowboarders on the slopes — and unfortunately, the skiers are responsible for putting them there.
Unbeknownst to most winter sports enthusiasts, the wax commonly spread on the bottom of skis and snowboards contains per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, or forever chemicals.
What's happening?
The James Hutton Institute in England and the University of Graz in Austria conducted research that found 14 different types of PFAS in soils — including in family ski spots — in the Austrian Alps.
The bad news for skiers is that these chemicals were found at exponentially higher levels in areas where skiing was common as compared to areas without it.
It was already known that ski wax — which is used to help skis and boards slide across snow more quickly and smoothly — contained these toxic chemicals, but this new report shows that it lingers on the slopes far beyond the season, possibly for millennia.
Why are PFAS so concerning?
"These chemicals are called forever chemicals because they will need hundreds of years to break down," lead researcher Viktoria Müller told The Guardian. "Because of this, they could accumulate or spread into the wider environment, including groundwater systems, which is the main concern."
In humans, PFAS have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, thyroid disease, immune-system suppression, development defects in unborn children, and more. Additionally, more reports emerge frequently, detailing the health threats from PFAS that weren't commonly known.
Unfortunately, these chemicals are already widespread. PFAS have been found at dangerous levels everywhere, from cookware brands like Teflon, to deep in rivers, to processed foods, to widely used industrial sludge fertilizer, and much more.
Not only do these chemicals pose an immediate threat to the humans who accidentally become exposed to them, but they linger in environments, risking the health and well-being of the ecosystems that produce our food, materials, and natural resources.
What's being done to reduce PFAS?
Fortunately, many groups are rallying to combat the continued spread of PFAS in a range of applications.
From universities researching methods to reduce PFAS in drinking water, to lawsuits fighting the usage of sludge fertilizer, to revolutionary technologies used for filtering PFAS out of water environments (did somebody say water fleas?) — a lot of work is being done to ensure that our future has as few forever chemicals in it as possible.
When it comes to winter sports, demand is growing for PFAS-free wax, and several brands are rising to the occasion to keep the slopes safe in winter and beyond.
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