PFAS — also called “forever chemicals” because of how slowly they break down in the environment — have been linked to another health concern for women. Middle-aged women with higher blood concentrations of seven of the most commonly detected PFAS are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study released by the American Heart Association. The study followed 1,000 women who were part of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation-Multi-Pollutant Study from 1999 to 2017 from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and who all had normal blood pressure at the start of the study.