They’re called PFAS and alas,

they’ll harm the world forever.

You can’t stop their damage,

not today, no — never!

They waterproof your clothes,

you wipe them on your chin,

they stop mum’s frypan sticking,

and the box your pizza’s in.

These chemicals are deadly

and never go away,

so why on earth do we use them

every single day?

Photo from Pexels by Akil Mazumder

Teacher’s note: PFAS (pronounced P-Fass) are known as Forever Chemicals — a large family of 10,000 chemicals that have been proved to persistently contaminate the earth. They are used in fire-fighting foam, food packaging, foundation cream, cosmetics, non-stick cookware, smartphones and waterproofing clothing.  They contaminate drinking water, wildlife, and agriculture.