PFAS in ski wax: Despite bans, these forever chemicals linger in wax rooms, study shows – so does their health risk

Despite bans, PFAS from old wax dust can still be found in wax rooms. Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

For more than 30 years, manufacturers of ski and snowboard waxes used PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – to make skis and snowboards glide faster over snow. These synthetic chemicals were highly effective and common in competitive racing just about everywhere.

Then studies began finding PFAS in human bodies, and research suggested the chemicals could harm human health.