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Everyday applications

PFAS Uses

PFAS have been used to make products resist stains, water and grease, and in industry, firefighting and medicine. These are the main uses named by U.S. agencies.

Water droplets beading on blue fabric
Photo by Ilya Semenov on Unsplash

Why PFAS are used

NIEHS summarises the appeal: “PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.” [1] PFAS “are used in the aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics industries.” [1]

Nonstick cookwareCoatings that keep food from sticking.Stain and water resistanceCarpets, upholstery and clothing.Firefighting foamsFoams for fuel and flammable liquid fires.Industrial processesPlating, electronics and manufacturing.Food packagingGrease-proofing, now phased out in the U.S.Personal care productsSome cosmetics, shampoo and dental floss.Medical devicesFluoropolymers in catheters, implants and tubing.Household productsCleaning products, paints and sealants.

Nonstick cookware

PFAS are used in the coatings that keep food from sticking to cookware. [1] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that “studies show negligible amounts of PFAS in this coating can migrate to food.” [2]

Stain- and water-resistant fabrics

EPA lists “stain and water-repellent used on carpets, upholstery, clothing, and other fabrics” among the household sources of PFAS. [3] ATSDR notes that PFAS have been used to make water-repellent clothing and stain-resistant fabrics and carpets. [4]

Firefighting foams

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) are used to put out fires involving flammable liquids. EPA explains that “such foams are used in training and emergency response events at airports, shipyards, military bases, firefighting training facilities, chemical plants, and refineries.” [3] Congress directed EPA, in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, to issue guidance on destroying and disposing of PFAS materials, including AFFF. [5]

Industrial processes

EPA names “chrome plating, electronics, and certain textile and paper manufacturers” among the facilities that produce or use PFAS. [3] Some metal finishing and electroplating facilities use PFAS to control emissions of hexavalent chromium, a known human carcinogen. [6]

Food packaging

PFAS-based grease-proofing agents were applied to “fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, take-out paperboard containers, pet food bags, as well as other similar types of packaging.” [7] On 28 February 2024 FDA announced that these grease-proofing substances “are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food contact use in the U.S. market.” [7] In January 2025 FDA declared the 35 related food contact notifications no longer effective because the uses had been abandoned. [2]

Personal care products and cosmetics

EPA lists “certain shampoo, dental floss, and cosmetics” as personal care products that can contain PFAS. [3] FDA says certain PFAS are intentionally added to some cosmetics, “including lipsticks, eyeshadows, moisturizers, nail polish and enamel, blushers and rouges, and cleansers.” [8] FDA published a report on PFAS in cosmetics and associated risks on 29 December 2025. [8]

Medical devices

FDA says fluoropolymers, a type of large-molecule PFAS, are used in medical devices “including catheters, cardiovascular implants, tubing and wound dressings.” FDA’s current position is that “there is no reason to restrict the continued use of fluoropolymers in medical devices.” [9]

Other household products

EPA also lists cleaning products, nonstick cookware, and “paints, varnishes, and sealants” among household sources of PFAS. [3]

Use is not the same as exposure. How much PFAS a person takes in depends on the product, the specific PFAS and how it is used. See how people are exposed.

Sources

  1. NIEHS, Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), reviewed 6 March 2026.
  2. FDA, Authorized Uses of PFAS in Food Contact Applications, current as of 3 January 2025.
  3. U.S. EPA, Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS, updated 14 July 2026.
  4. ATSDR, PFAS and Your Health, reviewed 22 July 2025.
  5. U.S. EPA, Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS and Materials Containing PFAS, updated 23 April 2026.
  6. U.S. EPA, Metal Finishing Effluent Guidelines, updated 17 March 2026.
  7. FDA, FDA Announces PFAS Used in Grease-Proofing Agents for Food Packaging No Longer Being Sold in the U.S., 28 February 2024.
  8. FDA, Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Cosmetics, current as of 29 December 2025.
  9. FDA, PFAS in Medical Devices: What You Need to Know, current as of 1 September 2026.

Last reviewed: 29 September 2026.

Keep exploring

About PFASPFAS are a family of thousands of human-made chemicals. Here is what they are, why they last so long and how individual PFAS differ.Health and ExposureNearly everyone in the U.S. has some PFAS in their blood. Here is how exposure happens, what studies have linked to certain PFAS, what blood tests can and cannot tell you, and practical steps to reduce exposure.PFAS in the EnvironmentMany PFAS break down very slowly, so they move through groundwater, rivers, soil and food chains. Here is where they come from, what has been found in U.S. tap water and how drinking water is regulated.