Nearly half of all tap water sources in the US are laced with toxic “forever chemicals,” according to a large official study.
Experts said the findings were “frightening” given the magnitude of the problem and the link between the toxins and cancer, fertility problems, birth defects and hormone problems.
In the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers tested water sources at more than 700 sites across the country for PFAS, microscopic man-made chemicals that take decades to break down in the body, hence the name “forever chemicals.” ‘.
They found that 45 percent of drinking water sources contained at least one PFAS — with the highest concentrations in the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the East Coast and Central/Southern California.
The team’s tests were limited to 32 types of PFAS out of the more than 12,000 types out there. US Geological Survey researchers said indicates that the problem is even bigger.
The map compiled by the US Geological Survey shows the number of PFAS detections in a large number of locations across the country between 2016 and 2021
PFAS is a common contaminant in many household items, from cookware to hamburger wrappers. It can remain in the environment and human tissue for years, even decades, before being cleared up
Researchers set out to find levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds in water sources at 716 unique locations across the country, in both urban and rural areas.
Collecting samples over the course of five years to detect PFAS levels, the team concluded that faucets in urban centers were generally more laden with the eternal chemicals than faucets in rural parts of the country.
Everyday household products, from frying pans to food packaging, contain PFAS that leach into the water supply, and while contamination with the chemicals is a well-known problem, the latest comprehensive study shows its alarming magnitude.
The main purpose of PFAS compounds is to repel water and oil, which makes non-stick pans so much easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain.
PFAS can seep into the water supply simply by washing the dishes. The compounds can also seep into our food if the packaging is made grease-resistant — think fast-food cheeseburgers — or if the non-stick coating on pots and pans begins to deteriorate.
PFAS are also common in pesticides used to feed crops, which produce chemical-rich runoff that can enter drinking water supplies.
Last year, researchers at Texas Tech University examined 10 commonly used insecticides used on cotton fields that could also work for food and other crops.
They found PFAS in seven of 10 insecticides, with levels of PFOS – which have been strongly linked to cancer – as high as 19 million parts per trillion (ppt) in one insecticide.
Most of the pollution was concentrated in densely populated urban areas, which the researchers said was due to increased industry and a greater number of waste sites in general, including factories and landfills, known to generate PFAS.
And several separate regions of the US had particularly high concentrations of the toxic compounds, including the East Coast and southern and central California, where many of the largest cities are located.
They also found elevated PFAS levels in Great Lakes regions and in plains states. However, they offered no explanation for why those specific areas, usually far from urban centers, showed such high levels of PFAS.
Researchers participating in the study represented different parts of the country, such as New Jersey, Wisconsin and Oregon, to get the most comprehensive results possible.
They sampled a total of 716 water sources, including 447 that rely on public utilities and 269 that use private sources.
While private wells are maintained by individuals or households on residences, public water sources are owned by the state or local government using a centralized water treatment and distribution system.
The Geological Survey’s research, conducted from 2016 to 2021, highlights the alarming magnitude of the problem PFAS contamination poses.
About 270 million Americans depend on public sources for their drinking water, while another 40 million use private sources, and all could be affected.
The problem has received increasing attention in recent years, in part due to increased media attention and advancing testing methods that can detect the chemicals in low concentrations in the environment and in humans.
And a growing body of research on the effects of PFAS exposure has made it clear that even low levels of the chemicals can be toxic. Unfortunately, they can be found almost everywhere, from non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers and popcorn bags and stain removers to cosmetics and fire-fighting foam.
The “forever chemicals,” so called because they break down incredibly slowly in the environment and can remain in the body for decades or even longer before being cleared.
Private and public water sources generally had similar concentrations of PFAS, although urban centers where private wells are less common were found to be more heavily polluted than rural areas
Some variants of PFAS have been shown to do that increase in LDL levels or “bad” cholesterol which contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries, slowly blocking blood flow in the arteries, which significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.
Long-term exposure to PFAS – which is not inconceivable given its constant presence in homes – can seriously damage the liver.
US government researchers concluded last year that when humans and rodents were exposed to the three common variants of PFAS, they showed elevated levels of an enzyme called ALT, a marker of liver damage, in the blood.
PFAS also disrupts the delicate hormone balance that has profound effects on our mental and physical health. This includes sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone which, when tampered with, impact on reproductive health and fertility.
Women exposed to PFAS during pregnancy have a higher risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure. Babies exposed to the chemicals in the womb, meanwhile, are on it higher risk of low birth weight and an increased risk of childhood obesity and infections down the line.
The disruption of normal hormone regulation can also lead to serious damage to the thyroid gland.
There is also evidence that exposure over a long period of time can contribute to cancer riskespecially in the kidneys and testicles.
The latest report indicates that human involvement is a major, if not the largest contributor to the level of contamination detected in drinking water sources across the country, allowing the chemicals to lodge in the blood, liver and kidneys.
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that PFAS could be detected in the blood of about 98 percent of the US population.
The federal government has taken steps to intervene, most recently with the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to propose new, stricter limits on maximum allowable levels of the compounds in US drinking water.
The agency has not disclosed what those new limits would be and a final decision is not expected before 2024.