| When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay set out to climb Everest in 1953, wool, down and cotton kept them alive in temperatures 30 degrees below zero. Synthetic fibers played only a supporting role as the pair ascended more than five miles above sea level, about the same altitude as modern jets. By the 1980s, the roles had reversed: Synthetic materials are now the preferred way for people to stay warm and dry, from the streets of New York to the Antarctic ice sheet. Many are fashioned from PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." But what makes these materials so durable — carbon-fluorine bonds, among the strongest in organic chemistry — also makes them dangerous. PFAS, or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, don't break down easily and can build up in our bodies and in the environment over decades. They're in drinking water serving nearly half the nation and in the blood of 97 percent of Americans. Traces of PFAS can now be found from Antarctic ice to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This uncontrolled global experiment on the human body and the world's ecosystems is not going well. While less than 1 percent of the 12,000 or so PFAS compounds have been tested for toxicity, the (abbreviated) list of maladies linked to them, even at tiny concentrations, includes decreased fertility, pregnancy complications, weakened immune systems, kidney and testicular cancers, liver damage, obesity, and hormone interference, according to a review of the scientific literature by the Environmental Protection Agency. California and New York have outlawed PFAS in clothing, and more states are following suit. PFAS-treated clothes will disappear from most American shelves by the end of 2026. That doesn't mean you have to be cold and wet outdoors. Clothing companies have spent years refreshing their waterproof systems with PFAS-free alternatives. The first people to climb Everest didn't need PFAS to stay warm and dry. You don't either. Write me with your questions at climatecoach@washpost.com. I read all your emails. | 
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