Fresh data from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency indicates that one out of every seven Americans (approximately 49.5 million people) live in a home where their drinking water contains “forever chemicals.”
To test your own home’s drinking water for these chemicals, you can contact your “state laboratory certification program to learn if the state has already certified laboratories,” per the EPA. Before we dive further into that, let’s give some background.
What are forever chemicals?
In April of last year, during the final months of former President Joe Biden’s administration, the EPA announced the first ever national drinking standard for these chemicals – per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Data released the following month revealed that nearly 300 public water systems exceeded the new limits.
New test results from the EPA were published this November following a previous update in August. According to USA Today, this new data shows that 100 additional public drinking water systems have reported yearly averages of PFAS since the summer update.
“USA TODAY’s analysis of the records shows water utilities in Anaheim and San Jose, California, and Brownsville, Texas, have now joined the 944 systems scattered across the country that have recently failed to meet the new EPA standards,” the outlet said this week. It also created a map based on the new PFAS data.
PFAS chemicals are widely used and slow to break down, the EPA explained. They are often used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. They can be found on clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces, the insulation of electrical wire. Since they are so commonly used, these chemicals end up in our drinking water.
Are forever chemicals dangerous?
“Scientists say they can accumulate in the human body and can increase the risk of certain cancers and other health problems when ingested,” USA Today said.
In August, Audacy reported on researchers who said they found a way to turn forever chemicals into fluoride, an ingredient often found in toothpaste.
“The substances have been linked to serious health issues, including developmental disorders, infertility, and cancer,” said a press release from by the University of Adelaide in Australia regarding the research.
USA Today also noted that the “EPA originally limited six types of PFAS in drinking water under the Biden Administration, but announced it would rescind all but two of those limits in May.” Still, the outlet said the number of municipalities not meeting these two limits is likely to grow as a three-year initiative that required all public utilities serving at least a few thousand customers to check for forever chemicals in their drinking water winds down.
“Some water utilities have told USA TODAY they’ve had to raise water rates to meet the new EPA standards, which many utilities argue isn’t fair since manufacturers created the pollution,” said the outlet. Some industry groups have even sued the EPA.
How can you find out if your drinking water has forever chemicals?
If your state does not have certified laboratories for PFAS analysis or has other recommendations to test for PFAS while the state establishes a PFAS laboratory certification program, the state laboratory certification program from all states should be able to provide interim guidance.
At home tests are available from companies like Tap Score and cost around $300. For these tests, samples have to be sent to a lab.
CBS News also reported in October on researchers with the University of Chicago who teamed up with Argonne National Labs in Lemont, Ill. to create portable sensors for PFAS detection.
“The work we are doing here is really important, because now we have a way to be able to measure this PFAS,” said Junhong Chen of UChicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. “Almost the only way to measure for PFAS is to take the water sample and send it to a high-end analytical laboratory for the analysis.”
With the sensor, they are hoping to provide detection that would require intensive and expensive lab testing.
“Their goal is to make these tests accessible for anyone to make sure their water is safe, directly from their home,” said CBS.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers an online PFAS Blood Level Estimation Tool.