Where do forever chemicals come from?

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Science

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

This week the UK Government decided it was worried enough about so called ‘forever chemicals’ to bring in it’s first ever plan to tackle them. Environment Minister Emma Hardy called PFAS "one of the most pressing chemical challenges of our time". Stephanie Metzger, policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry talks us through where all these chemicals have come from, and Lucy Hart, researcher at Lancaster university, brings us new science on their sources.

Technology journalist Gareth Mitchell is in the studio with his take on this week’s brand new discoveries.

And as future winter Olympians ready themselves atop Italy’s snow-covered peaks, Victoria Gill hears how the chemical make up of ski wax can make or break a gold medal winning run. She hears from Jostein Vinjerui, manager of the British cross-country team, and Pat Sharples, Head Coach for GB Snowsports.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Victoria Gill Producer: Alex Mansfield, Katie Tomsett, Kate White and Clare Salisbury Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:06.1	Can I just say?
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0:10.0	It's such a wonderful listen.
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0:14.8	Different paces, different heights, the roof is buckling.
0:17.9	Where you can also listen to live sports commentary.
0:20.2	It's right foot goes for goal.
0:21.6	And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories.
0:27.7	The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession.
0:31.2	And she's had to live with that.
0:32.8	So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion.
0:35.8	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:39.7	Sort of expecting that every week now.
0:46.5	Hello, you lovely curious-minded listeners. Welcome to Inside Science from the BBC World Service with me, Victoria Gill.
0:56.2	This week, our global science gazer Roland P's will be introducing us to a potentially new type of cosmological body, Black Hole stars, revealed by astronomers looking at the earliest times in the universe. And as the Winter Olympics get underway in
1:01.3	Northern Italy this week, there's some fundamental chemistry that could make the difference
1:05.4	between glory and defeat on the snow. More on that soon. And technology journalist and
1:10.4	broadcaster Gareth
1:11.2	Mitchell has been scouring the science journals for us and is here. Welcome, Gareth. Hello, Bick.
1:16.5	Very nice to be here. So I'm going to be talking about what is apparently the world's smallest computer.
	...

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