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The Biggest Chemical Coverup In History

Name: The Biggest Chemical Coverup In History
Description: Veritasium investigates PFAS forever chemicals, from Teflon's history to pollution of the global water system and their presence in the US population. It covers the corporate cover-up and the host's own blood tests.

Veritasium Documentaries

Open on YouTube First HN thread

3 HN users recommended this documentary in 3 different months between 2025 and 2026.

2007–2026

1 strong recommendation 2 recommendations 5 citations HackerTube score 3.5

Recommended as a good, accessible explanation of PFAS, its low safe limits and why regulation matters.

Veritasium investigates PFAS forever chemicals, from Teflon's history to pollution of the global water system and their presence in the US population. It covers the corporate cover-up and the host's own blood tests.

Pull quote: “If you want a good explanation of PFAs, Veritasium did a video on it.” (HN, 2025)

Also tagged: pfas forever chemicals, pfas, teflon, water pollution, chemical industry, public health

What Hacker News said

8 labeled comments from the HN archive; up to 20 are kept per video, favoring different commenters. Each one links back to the original thread.

Strongly recommends chiph May 2025 under Derek Muller confronts PFAS "forever chemicals" in his own blood

Convinced commenter to give up microwave popcorn over PFAS in bags.

Read the full comment

Based on his video, I have given up eating microwave popcorn and have gone back to stove-top made. If his numbers are to be believed (and I do), the coating on the inside of a microwave popcorn bag that is used to keep the cooking oils from soaking into the paper emit PFAS chemicals. Which leach into the popcorn oils - later to be consumed by you. In the chart comparing them with other coated papers such as fast food burger wrappers, they are far and away the leading source of PFAS. I still have questions - do the PFAS chemicals leach into the oils while sitting on the store shelf, or are they emitted when they get heated up in the microwave and exceed some temperature (like getting a Teflon pan too hot)? Not that this makes a difference in the end result, but I am curious. Video link: [this video]

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Recommends ourmandave June 2025 under Microplastics shed by food packaging are contaminating our food, study finds

Good explanation of PFAS and its very low safe limits.

If you want a good explanation of PFAs, Veritasium did a video on it. [this video] The safe allowable ppm counts are insanely low for this shit.

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Recommends starwatch October 2025 under 3M May Escape Toxic Chemical, PFAS Manufacturing Legacy

Nuances PFAS badness, non-stick cookware likely fine, covers manufacturing damage.

If you want more context on PFAS, I recommend this Veritasium video [0]. It expanded on my usual thought of "PFAS = bad," explaining why non-stick cookware is probably fine while other forms of PFAS are problematic. The video also covers the environmental damage caused by PFAS manufacturing. [0]: [this video]

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Citations, criticism and jokes

Cites it aptj June 2025 under Ask HN: How are parents who program teaching their kids today?

Cited as a title in a general parenting message.

@all Don't forget to help your kids learn to communicate, cooperate, stand for the healthy life on this wonderful planet (our common habitat) and resist being fooled and bullied. > Veritasium: How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet [this video] Edits: minor typos.

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Cites it sakesun July 2025 under If writing is thinking then what happens if AI is doing the writing and reading?

Shows convenience inventions becoming decades-later health concerns.

Just watched Veritasium's "How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet" [this video] Inventions created for convenience decades ago have now become health concerns. I wonder how AI might affect our intellectual well-being in the decades to come.

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Cites it vincnetas September 2025 under EPA Seeks to Eliminate Critical PFAS Drinking Water Protections

Explains PFAS and why environmental protections are needed.

Veritasium had video explaining about PFAS and environment protections that were needed to keep people/animals from being sick. Somewhere around minute 23 in video. [this video]

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Cites it alt227 April 2026 under How to breathe in fewer microplastics in your home

Says PFAS from pans passes through digestion unless heated above 300 C.

Fully agree with you, however eating small bits of PFAS from pans seems to be pretty non toxic. Even in the recent Veritasium video about it they said that unless the chemical was heated to above ~300 degress C if will pass through the human digestive system without causing any harm. [this video]

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Cites it Joel_Mckay July 2026 under GAO: DOE Is Prematurely Excluding Less Expensive Options for Nuclear Cleanup

Example of PFAS in the host's blood.

The toxicology of soluble heavy-metal bioavailable material is a well understood area of research, and can bioaccumulate in humans several times higher than background if a food chain allows biomagnification of a contaminant. The publication assumes the reader has first year biology, and will understand test subject mortality data implications. I would recommend studying the story of Polychlorinated biphenyls in whales, Mercury levels in salmon, and PFAS in the Veritasium hosts blood. [this video] "Particle Accelerator vs Egg" is a great demonstration of purely irradiated cell decomposition, and is great entertainment for all ages. =3 [link]

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