, according to U. S. According to the Geological Survey, at least 45% of American tap water is thought to contain one or more PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to serious health issues.
According to a recent study, there may be “forever chemicals” in nearly half of the country’s tap water, which are known to cause cancer.
According to a report released by the U.S. S. Geological Survey estimates that at least 45% of American tap water contains one or more types of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds.
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines them, are a class of roughly 14,000 artificial substances that are “very persistent in the environment and the human body, meaning they don’t break down and can accumulate over time. ”.
The NIH refers to PFAS as “forever chemicals” because they can last for years without decomposing and are linked to serious health issues like cancer, prenatal difficulties, thyroid disease, liver disease, kidney disease, infertility, and autoimmune disorders.
The study, which looked for PFAS in tap water from both private and public water systems, was conducted between 2016 and 2021 in 716 locations across the US, according to the USGS. Rural and urban areas in 447 rely on public water sources, while 269 rely on private wells.
According to scientists, PFAS will probably be found in rural areas with a probability of about 75% and in urban areas with a possibility of 25%. As high-exposure areas, the Great Plains, Great Lakes, Eastern Seaboard, and Central/Southern California regions were mentioned.
According to Kelly Smalling, a research hydrologist with the USGS, who is the report’s primary author, “USGS scientists tested water collected directly from people’s kitchen sinks across the nation, providing the most comprehensive study on PFAS in tap water from private wells and public supplies.”.
According to the study, of the PFAS types that were monitored, at least one may be present in about half of the tap water in the United States. Additionally, PFAS levels in both public and private wells were similar.
Private water supplies are looked after, tested, and treated by homeowners, while public water supplies are managed by the EPA. The only way to know for sure whether PFAS are present in wells is to test them. Therefore, anyone interested in inspecting and maintaining private wells should seek guidance from their local and state authorities.
Smalling asserts that if the average American is worried about the safety of their drinking water, they can use this and other research to learn more, evaluate their own [personal] risk, and get in touch with their regional health officials for testing or treatment.
