MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro will avoid using products that contain PFAS whenever possible, select board members agreed at their March 17 meeting.

But this could prove “very, very challenging,’’ Town Manager Jay McGrail said, because the chemicals are contained in many everyday items.

PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that have been used in the manufacturing of certain fire-fighting foams, moisture and stain-resistant products and other industrial processes. 

Exposure has been linked to certain types of cancer, impacts to the immune system and other health risks. PFAS is known as a “forever chemical’’ because it doesn’t break down easily and instead remains in the environment for long periods of time.

Two town advocacy groups, Citizens for a Healthy Middleboro and Sustainable Middleboro, proposed a resolution urging the town to purchase items that are free from PFAS when they are available and to encourage suppliers to develop PFAS-free products. 

McGrail said that “everyone is supportive’’ of the idea and the town will do its best to avoid the chemical. But the reality, he said, is that the town often has “no other option’’ than to use items that include PFAS.

For example, voters at the April 2024 Town Meeting approved borrowing $33 million to build a treatment plant to filter out PFAS. This was done in part because the chemicals have been detected at levels above 20 nanograms per liter, which is considered a violation in Massachusetts, at least three times in 2024 at the East Grove Street well. 

But building the plant requires the use of Teflon tubes, which contain PFAS, McGrail said, noting the irony. In that case, he said, “we had no other option.’’

Other items that can contain PFAS include non-stick cookware, cleaning products, food packaging, water-resistant clothing and firefighting foam, including ingredients in fire extinguishers. 

Select board members encouraged the two groups’ efforts and encouraged them to continue community outreach and education.

An event looking at ways to reduce PFAS in homes and in town will take place Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at Middleboro Town Hall.