Nearly half of tap water contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ in US, claims study
Representational image of man drinking tap water.
According to a recently conducted government study, nearly half the tap water has been contaminated by one or more “forever chemicals”, which are linked to health issues like cancer and infertility, in the United States.
The country’s largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency US Geological Survey (USGS) said that around 45 per cent of the country's tap water has been impacted.
Although more than 12,000 types of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, existin the world, it is not possible to detect all of them with current testing. Only 32 types of PFAS were tested in the drinking water by the USGS.
ALSO READ |South Koreans resort to panic-buying salt as Japan preps release of treated water into sea
PFAS present in everyday products
Locations and cities which were close to “potential sources” of PFAS faced the most contamination by the chemicals, which were found in a glut of everyday products ranging from non-stick cookware to takeout containers and fire-fighting foam.
Dr. Jamie DeWitt, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at East Carolina University while speaking to CNN, said, “There’s been almost no place scientists have looked where they have not found PFAS.”
The study discovered that most of the exposed regions included central and southern parts of California, the Great Plains, the Great Lakes and the Eastern Seaboard. As per the USGS, the probability of PFAS not being present in tap water is around 75 per cent in rural areas and around 25 per cent in urban areas.
Harmful effects of PFAS
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to increased high blood pressure or decreased fertility in pregnant women. The chemical substances may also have developmental effects in children and can increase the risk of a few cancers which include prostate, kidney, and testicular. The researchers are carrying out more studies to explore other potential health impacts of PFAS.
WATCH |Nearly half of the tap water in the US is contaminated with ‘forever chemicals: Government study
PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because of the length of time they require to break down in the environment. Speaking to CNN, Dr. Graham Peaslee, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy said, “I think that we should try our best to work on how to clean this up. My fear is that this is, global warming aside, this is probably the most expensive environmental problem we’re ever going to face.”
“There’s nothing that will magically fix it. It’s fairly expensive to clean this up. And it’s a recurring cost, and there’s no permanent solutions to it for any particular utility. It looks frightening,” Peaslee added.
You cannow write forwionews.comand be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with ushere.
WATCH WION LIVE HERE