The
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study tested tap water samples
from more than 700 residences, businesses and drinking-water
treatment plants across the country for the presence of
perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl chemicals known as PFAS.
At least one such synthetic chemical was detected in 45% of the
samples at levels exceeding benchmarks and U.S. proposed
regulations, the researchers said.
PFAS are water resistant, meaning they do not break down in the
environment and last in human bodies for years. Developed in the
1940s with the creation of Teflon, a non-stick cookware coating,
today they are used in everything from clothing to plastic
products.
Previous studies have measured PFAS in ground water, reservoirs
and water treatment plants. But analyzing tap water allows for a
more accurate assessment of what people are drinking, said Kelly
Smalling, a USGS hydrologist who led the research.
Exposure to high levels of PFAS can disrupt hormones, disturb
liver function, increase the risk of kidney or testicular
cancer, reduce birth weight in infants and compromise the health
of pregnant women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Tests exist for a fraction of the 12,000 known types of PFAS.
The study samples, which came from public supplies and private
wells between 2016 and 2021, were tested for 32 types.
There was no difference in PFAS exposure between samples from
private wells and the public supply, which "was very
surprising,” Smalling said.
Public water supplies are regulated by the Environmental
Protection Agency while private wells are not.
Compared with people in rural areas, those in urban areas are at
higher risk of exposure to PFAS in drinking water, the study
found.
In March, the EPA proposed the first-ever national drinking
water standard for six PFAS. It would require monitoring of
public water systems and disclosure when PFAS levels exceed
limits.
Almost $10 billion was directed to help communities reduce PFAS
and other chemical contaminants as part of the Biden
administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
(Reporting by Rachel Nostrant; Editing by Nancy Lapid and Howard
Goller)
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