{"data":{"id":1843,"lang":"en","title":"Scientists Discover UV Light Can Destroy PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Without Added Chemicals","summary":"Aarhus University researchers found that hydrogen radicals from UV light destroy PFAS \"forever chemicals\" without added chemicals, opening a path to effective water contamination cleanup.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-06-16T22:02:41Z","updated_at":"2026-06-16T22:02:41Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1843-scientists-discover-uv-light-can-destroy-pfas-forever-chemicals-without-added","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1843?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1843.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://scitechdaily.com/images/PFAS-Forever-Chemicals.jpg","word_count":188,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260615033846.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"},{"url":"https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-just-found-a-surprising-way-to-destroy-forever-chemicals/","domain":"scitechdaily.com"},{"url":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c16178","domain":"pubs.acs.org"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":1916,"title":"Vědci zjistili, že UV záření dokáže ničit věčné chemikálie PFAS bez přídavných látek","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1916-vedci-zjistili-ze-uv-zareni-dokaze-nicit-vecne-chemikalie-pfas-bez-pridavnych","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/1916?lang=cs"},"content":"Researchers at Aarhus University have identified how intense ultraviolet (UV) light can destroy PFAS — the toxic \"forever chemicals\" found in water supplies, food packaging, and human blood — through a surprisingly simple mechanism. When high-energy UV light (below 300 nanometers) strikes water, it generates hydrogen radicals that attack carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS molecules, stripping away fluorine atoms and breaking the compounds into less persistent substances — all without added chemicals.\n\nAssociate Professor Zongsu Wei, who led the research, noted that cracking those bonds has long been the central challenge: \"We know that PFAS are extremely stable because of the strong carbon-fluorine bonds, and breaking those bonds is the main challenge.\" The study, published in Environmental Science \u0026 Technology on May 13, 2026, redefines hydrogen radicals as the primary driver of PFAS degradation, overturning earlier assumptions about which reactive species did the work.\n\nWhile the process is still relatively slow and can produce intermediate compounds, the discovery clears a path toward greener, scalable treatment systems that fully destroy PFAS rather than simply filtering them elsewhere. Around 200 million people in the U.S. alone are estimated to drink water containing detectable PFAS levels."}}