From ship propellers to wind turbines and harvesters, seals are crucial to ensuring functionality in any technical system with moving parts. To increase their durability, they have mainly been made from plastics that contain PFAS, maintained with petroleum-based lubricants. That is true across the many different places where they are used, from power plants to motor vehicles. Defects and damage therefore not only cause economic harm but can also have substantial environmental impact because the lubricants and chemicals enter the environment.