PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported

A new report by the Environmental Working Group has found that more Americans are exposed to PFAS than previously thought.

The report, published by the Environmental Working Group, found that 20 cities and regions nationwide – including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami and Louisville, Kentucky – contained PFAS levels of at least 10 parts per trillion. Forty-three areas, including New York City, Nashville, Las Vegas and Sacramento, had detectable PFAS(polyfluoroalkyl substances) at least 1 part per trillion...

EWG has mapped PFAS contamination of drinking water or ground water in almost 1,400 sites in 49 states. Previously, their analysis of unpublished EPA data estimates that water supplies for 110 million Americans may be contaminated with PFAS – an estimate that could be much too low, based on the new findings.

... Only one city, Meridian, Mississippi, which uses well water 700 feet below the surface, found no PFAS, while Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Seattle had levels lower than the 1 part per trillion limit advised by the EWG.

EWG's work expanded on data from an EPA program that ended in 2015, analyzing water samples using an EPA-approved independent laboratory for a larger set of PFAS compounds.

EWG Article & Research Paper

EWG.org(Main Article)

Based on our tests and new academic research that found PFAS widespread in rainwater, EWG scientists now believe PFAS is likely detectable in all major water supplies in the U.S., almost certainly in all that use surface water. EWG’s tests also found chemicals from the PFAS family that are not commonly tested for in drinking water.

EWG’s samples – collected by staff or volunteers between May and December 2019 – were analyzed by an accredited independent laboratory for 30 different PFAS chemicals, a tiny fraction of the thousands of compounds in the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. An EPA-mandated sampling program that ended in 2015 tested for only a few types of PFAS and required utilities to report only detections of a higher minimal level. The EPA also only mandated testing for systems serving more than 10,000 people, whereas EWG’s project included a sample from a smaller system excluded from the EPA program. Because of those limitations, the EPA reported finding PFAS at only seven of the locations where EWG’s tests found contamination.

'Forever Chemicals'

PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also known as "forever chemicals," have been linked to reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological effects, as well as high cholesterol and obesity.

PFAS compounds remain in food packaging, cookware, and other consumer products. Once released into the environment they do not break down, and they can build up in our blood and organs. Exposure to PFAS increases the risk of cancer, harms the development of the fetus and reduces the effectiveness of vaccines. Biomonitoring studies by the CDC, show that the blood of nearly all Americans is contaminated with PFAS.

The EPA was first alerted to the problem of PFAS in drinking water in 2001 but in almost 20 years has failed to set an enforceable, nationwide legal limit. In 2016, the agency issued a non-enforceable lifetime health advisory for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water of 70 ppt. Independent scientific studies have recommended a safe level for PFAS in drinking water of 1 ppt, which is endorsed by EWG.

An EPA spokesperson told USA TODAY that efforts to address PFAS are "active and ongoing," citing an action plan that would take "important steps" in the detecting and cutting down on PFAS.

usa today

Notably, many states' maximum contaminant levels, including Minnesota's current regulations and New York's proposed limits, are far stricter than the EPA guidelines, hovering around the 10 to 20 parts per trillion mark.

The EPA announced last year new methods that increased the number of PFAS chemicals monitored in drinking water to 29.

Here is a link to a EWG website where you can search for your area in the 2019 Tap Water Database. I strongly suggest taking a look at a few of the links above, they get into fantastic detail, much to which I'm clueless lol.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

Simply appalling.

Dbl post.

My dad has been on the same well water for 40 years, and he still has water samples tested each year.

to me its nuts to not check your water on a regular basis.

originally posted by: LtFluffyCakes96
Here is a link to a EWG website where you can search for your area in the 2019 Tap Water Database. I strongly suggest taking a look at a few of the links above, they get into fantastic detail, much to which I'm clueless lol.

Interesting link, thanks.

I suppose I need to research the EWG limits further. There is no legal limit for PFAS in my drinking water, and the move to limit PFAS usage is apparently relatively recent. One source of exposure is apparently firefighting foam used by the military, which can still be used until 2024 at which point it's generally banned with some exceptions like it can still be used on ships after that. There was also a bill to test the blood of military firefighters for PFAS.

One PFAS source that would have affected me in the past was microwave popcorn, but I stopped eating microwave popcorn years ago, not because of PFAS but because I liked other sources of popcorn better:

‘Forever Chemicals’ Are in Your Popcorn—and Your Blood

when you hear popcorn bursting in a bag in your microwave, consider why the oil doesn’t ooze out and the paper doesn’t burst into flames, even when some kernels turn black...

...people who reported eating microwave popcorn had significantly higher levels of four types of PFAS chemicals, according to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. The more frequently people ate popcorn, the higher their level of PFAS chemicals in their blood samples.

So now that I know the PFAS issue with microwave popcorn, I'll probably never eat it again, not much of a change for me since I already stopped eating it years ago.

The EWG link shows a little PFAS in my drinking water but I was probably getting far more exposure from microwave popcorn when I used to eat that.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
My dad has been on the same well water for 40 years, and he still has water samples tested each year.

to me its nuts to not check your water on a regular basis.

I'm also on a ~35 year well.

It's amazing how much of our water is contaminated, both city and groundwater.

I made this thread several years ago about uranium contaminated aquifers in the US.

Clean water should be one of our top priorities.

I drank water from a hose once and got stung on the lip by a bumble bee.
This is the 21st century.
We shouldn't have bees in our drinking water.

PFAS os a bad chemistry, it can cause all sorts of health issues. I wonder if the fluoride they are adding to the water is combining with some chemistry in the water and forming this chemical. Maybe the chlorine in the water is acting as a catalyst to help it form. Back in the early sixties, not that much plastic was used, but now plastic is everywhere in our human environment and is starting to cause problems in all life forms.

Science is going to be the downfall of mankind, and possibly the world. A lot more negative is evolving from science than good.

Maybe the world is being terraformed by aliens so they can take over. They are steering our chemists to do what they want by brainwashing them into creating things that will kill us all. scitechdaily.com...

a reply to: Liquesence

Yup yup, we can adjust to almost everything, no fresh safe water=dead people.

yet almost nobody talks about it, we let foreign countries steal our water, we let corporations poison the water we drink, and almost nobody talks about it.

so many cities and reservations have contaminated water, and nobody wants to work to fix it. (if its possible)

a reply to: loam

Thank you for your inputs.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Has he had to drill it deeper since he first started using the well? IMO, 40 years is pretty outstanding! My job consists of servicing and the installation/removal of domestic pumps and Agricultural pumps for water wells, and alot of them max out around 20-30 years. Your dad chose the right idea living where he is.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

Despite the headlines the true story is we are being approached by a rogue star system,like every 300 yrs,with them they bring the plagues,one being poisoning all water in rivers,lakes,called a restart,we will be and are being destroyed

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96
Nope, he went big on the depth from the word go, also go a little lucky with location and the well goes into a pretty good sized aquifer.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I can only imagine the size of the recharge veins of that aquifer.

I changed a domestic pump for a guy in southern California the other day, and he had the cleanest and/or freshest water I've ever seen -- right out of the well. It looked like the waters around a tropical island. I was baffled and amused.

This reminds me of glyphosate being prevalent in drinking water and the environment due to its heavy use in agriculture. Possibly influencing numerous health issues from colony collapse disorder to hormonal problems in populations.

Endocrine disrupters are nasty compounds occurring throughout the environment. One population group that experienced numerous impacts from EDs are nail salon workers, research that impact if you ever get time.

Drinking water, especially wells and aquifers near superfund sites have unhealthy levels of these compounds that have the potential to disrupt organisms across the food chain, especially as toxic compounds concentrate up the food supply.

Here is a great site documenting numerous endocrine disrupting compounds present in the environment.

TedX Endocrine Disruptor Exchange

Superfund Sites in the United States

Two things we need to work to eliminate from the environment ASAP are these compounds and micro plastics.