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Forever chemicals<\/a> have long-haul repercussions.<\/p>\n Researchers in Sweden<\/a> observed a concerning pattern when they combined data from separate public records showing drinking water exposure and the rates of asthma in young children.<\/p>\n Babies born to women who lived in towns served by a municipal water supply notorious for its PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl substances) contamination had a higher likelihood of developing the chronic lung disease, which affected an estimated 262 million people worldwide in 2019 and led to 455,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n Already known for their capacity to cause immune system dysfunction, these findings add another notch to forever chemicals\u2019 toxic belt.\u00a0<\/p>\n For decades, the local waterworks in Ronneby, a town in southern Sweden\u2019s Blekinge County, had been contaminated with PFAS<\/a>, a subset of manufactured chemicals found in common household items and many types of food packaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019ve been dubbed \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because some of the more than 12,000 varieties will take 1,000 years to break down naturally<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Researchers for this study cross-referenced a list of all the children born in Blekinge County between 2006 and 2013 with asthma diagnosis statistics from the National Patient Register. <\/p>\n