A sip from the tap might not kill you today, but it might over 30 years.
A new federal study out Wednesday found nearly half of all U.S. tap water is contaminated with PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are a group of synthetic compounds that break down slowly and are commonly used on everyday products such as cookware and food packaging.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has connected PFAS exposure to a range of severe health problems from developmental delays in children and fertility issues to obesity and cancer. PFAS exposure has also been linked to abnormal cholesterol levels, hormone suppression, and liver damage. Last summer, the EPA issued a health advisory about the lingering chemicals, raising the alarm that exposure was more dangerous than previously known. The agency updated guidelines from 2016 to reset determined risk exposure to two of the most widely studied chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, from 70 parts per trillion to nearly zero.
The new data published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on Wednesday revealed 45 percent of the nation’s tap water contained at least one or more types of “forever chemicals.” Researchers measured for just 32 different kinds of PFAS out of more than 12,000 that exist. Samples were taken from 716 locations between 2016 and 2021.
“USGS scientists tested water collected directly from people’s kitchen sinks across the nation, providing the most comprehensive study to date on PFAS in tap water from both private wells and public supplies,” USGS
