The Inventors of the First PFAS

Inventors developed a precursor chemical in 1934 at then-German chemical giant I G Farben, according to a history posted on manufacturingdive.com.

Four years later, Americans working for DuPont working on a new refrigerant discovered the chemical that was trademarked in 1945 as Teflon.

In 1953, two scientists at 3M discovered a related chemical known as PFOS.

In 1954, a French engineer coated his wife’s pans with Teflon, which led to the launch of Tefal cookware in 1956.

Since then, use of PFAS has expanded — as stain repellents in fabrics, textiles food wrappers, and many other uses, including firefighter turnout gear and firefighting foam used to quell wildfires.