Tackling PFAS with quantum computing

By Chad Rigetti

America is facing a silent public health crisis. Ground and drinking water across the country contains high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of more than 3500 compounds known as PFAS. Some sites have concentrations 500 times above federal safety guidelines.

PFAS compounds are water, stain, and heat-resistant. They’re used in consumer and industrial products from fire suppressants to household goods like nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing. The same chemical properties that make them useful also make them hard to detect and prevent them from degrading. Through decades of use and a lack of awareness of their effects, PFAS has accumulated in the environment and in our bodies. Human exposure to these compounds has been linked to delayed puberty onset, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, high blood pressure during pregnancy, high cholesterol, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, and thyroid disease.

State and federal governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to understand the full extent of the environmental and societal effects of PFAS contamination. Even partial cleanup efforts are estimated to cost many billions. There is no clear long-term solution.

Quantum computing gives us, for the first time, a viable strategy to tackle this problem. Because quantum computers operate on the same principles that govern the properties of materials and chemicals like PFAS, they are dramatically more efficient at simulating and understanding their behavior. These unique computational capabilities can be used to understand the underlying chemical and biochemical mechanisms that lead to human health impact; to identify cost-effective methods to remove PFAS from our bodies and from the environment; and to develop safer compounds with similar functionalities to replace PFAS important role in industrial and consumer goods.

As Albert Einstein famously said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” The use of PFAS ultimately came about in an earlier era, when our scientific computing capabilities were far more limited. Today, we have tools at our disposal to help address this issue. By taking this opportunity, we can truly leave the world in better shape than we found it.