But I'm not sure how much that really matters... a regular un-fluoridated polymer like polyethylene that sticks around for a thousand years is not all that different in practice from a fluoropolymer that will stick around for a million years. If they're not recycled they go to landfill.
Maybe more to the point, I'd much prefer to contaminate the environment with inert chemicals with a million year lifespan than with toxic or bio-accumulating chemicals with a thousand year lifespan, and the good news is that the longevity of fluoropolymers is due to their total lack of reactivity.
Except there’s many routes ptfe can turn harmful. If it burns it turns into horrible stuff. Guess it shouldn’t be used in California.
And just as with polyethylene, additives like plasticizers and various other components added for processing can be a big issue. They used to use pfoa for helping process Teflon. Who knows what they use now.
All of this is true but it's totally unrelated to the fact that fluoropolymers are forever chemicals. Fluoropolymers themselves are harmless, even if their byproducts are not necessarily. And presumably the compounds of concern you've highlighted are actually not forever chemicals.
