Report says that 26 million people have ‘forever chemicals’ in their drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed on Thursday (August 17) that approximately 26 million individuals in the United States are being exposed to the harmful and persistent contaminants called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through their drinking water. A recent report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) outlines that the EPA’s fifth unregulated contaminant monitoring rule mandates water utilities throughout the nation to analyze drinking water for 29 distinct PFAS compounds.

The preliminary dataset shared by the EPA confirmed the presence of PFAS in 431 water systems, surpassing the minimum reporting thresholds. The findings are consistent with a 2020 study by the EWG, which estimated that over 200 million Americans might be consuming water containing PFAS.

Scott Faber, the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at EWG, highlighted that for years, Americans have been unknowingly ingesting PFAS-contaminated water. Faber emphasizes the imperative for the Biden administration to establish drinking water standards this year, as the new testing data suggests that avoiding PFAS exposure is exceedingly challenging.

An illustrative map now exhibits both public and private water systems identified as tainted with harmful PFAS at more than 2,800 locations across 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two territories.

The report also notes that laboratory tests conducted by EWG last month anticipated the unsettling outcomes that the EPA disclosed this week. The group’s tests identified various PFAS compounds in the drinking water of numerous cities spanning 18 states from California to Connecticut.

According to EWG estimates, almost 30,000 industrial sources may be releasing PFAS into the environment, including water sources. The report underlines that curbing industrial emissions will subsequently lessen the burden on drinking water utilities to treat PFAS.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have detected PFAS in the bloodstream of 99 percent of Americans, including newborns. The report draws on studies indicating that exposure to even low levels of PFAS could elevate the risk of cancer, harm fetal development, and diminish the effectiveness of vaccines.