With reference to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are used in making many consumer products, consider the following statements : 1. PFAS are found to be widespread in drinking water, food and food packaging materials. 2. PFAS are not easily degraded in the environment. 3. Persistent exposure to PFAS can lead to bioaccumulation in animal bodies. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

Defines Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) as carbon‑based substances that persist, travel widely, and bioaccumulate in food chains.

A student could note that chemicals with POP‑like properties used in consumer products may end up distributed in water and food and thus look for whether PFAS share those persistence and bioaccumulation traits in external sources.

Mentions perfluorocarbons produced as industrial by‑products, illustrating that per‑fluorinated compounds arise from industry.

One could extend this by checking whether per‑fluorinated chemicals from industrial processes are used in consumer goods and by tracing potential pathways into water/food systems.

Notes rapid growth of consumer packaging (cans, aluminium foils, plastics) and that such non‑biodegradable items cause environmental contamination.

A student might infer packaging materials can be sources of chemical contamination and therefore examine whether PFAS are used in food packaging and can migrate into food or the environment.

Gives examples of harmful contaminants (nitrate, fluoride) in drinking water and their health effects, illustrating that water can carry hazardous substances.

Use this pattern to motivate testing drinking water for other persistent contaminants (like PFAS) known to be used in industry/consumer products.

Lists that many chemicals derived from agricultural/industrial sources have both food and non‑food applications (cosmetics, detergents), showing consumer goods often contain specialized chemicals.

A student could look up whether per‑fluorinated compounds are among such multifunctional chemicals used in consumer products and thereby assess potential exposure routes into food and packaging.

Gives a general rule that many synthetic pollutants resist natural breakdown because they 'resemble nothing in nature' and are not attacked by water, air, sunlight, or organisms.

A student could apply this pattern to PFAS (synthetic fluorinated compounds) and then check chemical properties or environmental monitoring reports to judge persistence.

Describes CFCs as chemically inert with very long atmospheric residence times because they resist photodissociation, oxidation and removal processes.

A student can use this example of a chemically stable, long-lived industrial compound as an analogy to ask whether PFAS (also industrial fluorinated chemicals) show similar environmental persistence.

Notes that perfluorocarbons (a class of fluorinated compounds) are produced industrially and have long atmospheric lifetimes and high persistence-like attributes.

A student could relate perfluorocarbons' documented longevity to PFAS (another group of fluorinated/industry-associated chemicals) and seek specific data on environmental degradation.

Points out that many consumer-packaging materials are non-biodegradable and cause long-term environmental harm.

A student could treat PFAS-containing consumer products as part of the broader class of non-biodegradable consumer compounds and investigate whether PFAS resist degradation similarly.

Defines that contaminants may be transformed and rendered harmless, but if transformation does not occur they persist as pollutants.

A student can use this framework to ask whether PFAS undergo environmental transformation; if not, they should be considered persistent pollutants and then check supporting chemical/environmental data.

Defines Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) as chemicals that remain for long periods, become widely distributed, and accumulate in fatty tissues and higher food‑chain levels (bioaccumulation).

A student could note that if PFAS share persistence and wide distribution properties with POPs, they may similarly concentrate in animal tissues and be tested for tissue residues and food‑chain magnification.

Gives the general definition of bioaccumulation: increase in pollutant concentration from environment to the first organism in a food chain.

Combine this definition with knowledge that PFAS are environmental contaminants to suggest measuring environmental PFAS levels and organism tissue concentrations to assess bioaccumulation.

Provides an example class (organochlorine pesticides) that are fat‑soluble, persistent, and accumulate in body fat for years.

Use this pattern (persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals used in products can concentrate in animals) as an analogue to investigate whether PFAS (also widely used) show similar persistence and tissue retention.

Explains that pollutants differ in persistence and that some persist for very long periods while others are biodegraded or broken down by sunlight or organisms.

A student could use this rule to focus on whether PFAS are among the more persistent category (unlikely to degrade) and therefore more likely to bioaccumulate.

Notes increased use of synthetic materials and chemical products in consumer settings, implying greater environmental release of such chemicals.

Combine this with the persistence/bioaccumulation rules to justify investigating PFAS presence in indoor/outdoor environments and subsequent uptake by animals exposed to those environments.