Read the full article by Mike Ludwig (Truthout)
“New laboratory tests confirm that drinking water in dozens of cities across the United States is contaminated with toxic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels exceeding what independent experts consider safe for human consumption. The findings suggest that previous studies have dramatically underestimated the number of consumers exposed to PFAS through drinking water and come as the Trump administration continues to gut environmental and clean water protections.
Over the past year, researchers collected tap water samples from 44 locations in 31 states and the District of Columbia ranging from large metropolitan areas to small towns. Water from every location tested positive for PFAS with the exception of Meridian, Mississippi, where drinking water is drawn from wells more than 700 feet deep, according to a study released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) last week. Some of the highest levels of PFAS were found in major metropolitan areas, including Philadelphia, Miami, New Orleans and a northern New Jersey suburb of New York City.
The positive test results from 43 of the 44 locations suggest that harmful ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancer, liver dysfunction, fetal damage and other health problems have contaminated far more drinking water sources than previously known. Scientists and environmental watchdogs now say that various PFAS compounds are likely detectable in virtually all the nation’s major water supplies, particularly those that draw drinking water from surface sources such as rivers and lakes…
Even if the PFAS Action Act were to pass the Senate, the White House has said Trump would veto the bill. His administration has systematically rolled back environmental regulations, including sweeping clean water protections. Last week, the administration ignored its own scientific advisory board and finalized a rule that exempts half the nation’s wetland and streams from regulation, leaving waterways that feed drinking water sources for 2 million people without federal protections. PFAS enters the water supply in a variety of ways, including industrial discharge and runoff from farm fields where waste from water treatment plants is used as fertilizer…
Of the 43 locations where tap water tested positive, only two — Brunswick County, North Carolina and Quad Cities, Iowa — had a concentration of various PFAS chemicals greater than the 70 parts per trillion federal advisory limit for PFOS and PFOA, the two most notorious and well-studied PFAS compounds. However, independent studies suggest that PFAS is dangerous at much lower levels, and the Environmental Working Group considers only concentrations of 1 part per trillion or lower to be safe for human consumption…
Dave Andrews, a toxicologist and senior scientist at EWG, said that the 70 parts per trillion limit is ‘woefully inadequate’ because research shows that the chemicals can damage the immune system at much lower levels. Hundreds of other PFAS chemicals are currently used by various industries, and some are found in food packaging. They also persist in the environment and body, and while scientific data on health risks is currently sparse, Andrews said there is emerging evidence that the entire class of chemicals is dangerous. The advisory is non-enforceable and provides no further protection to the public besides guidance for local governments and utilities…