US: 26 million people have 'forever chemicals' in their drinking water, says report

Twenty-six million people in the United States have the toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday (August 17). According to a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the EPA's fifth unregulated contaminant monitoring rule requires water utilities across the US to test drinking water for 29 different PFAS compounds.

The initial round of data released by the EPA confirmed the presence of PFAS at 431 water systems at levels above minimum reporting limits. The report said that this is consistent with a 2020 study of the EWG which estimated that over 200 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water. 

Scott Faber, the senior vice president for government affairs at EWG, said that for decades Americans have unknowingly consumed water tainted with PFAS. "The new testing data shows that escaping PFAS is nearly impossible. The EPA has done its job, and the Biden White House must finalize drinking water standards this year."

A map now showed public and private water systems known to be contaminated with toxic PFAS at more than 2,800 locations in 50 states, the District of Columbia and two territories. 

The report also said that laboratory tests published by the EWG last month anticipated the worrisome new results from the EPA this week. The group's test found the presence of a variety of PFAS in the drinking water of numerous cities across 18 states, spanning from California to Connecticut.

The EWG estimated that there could be nearly 30,000 industrial polluters releasing PFAS into the environment, including into sources of drinking water. It said restricting industrial discharges will reduce the amount of PFAS drinking water utilities must treat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected PFAS in the blood of 99 per cent of Americans, including newborn babies. Citing studies, the report further said that exposure to very low levels of PFAS can also increase the risk of cancer, harm fetal development and reduce vaccine effectiveness.

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