A new report from Environment America found that 83% of water samples collected across the United States tested positive for PFAS, the man-made chemicals known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment or the human body. A separate U.S. Geological Survey study found nearly half of American tap water contains the same chemicals. If you assumed bottled water was the safe alternative, the report has bad news there too: PFAS showed up in bottled water as well.
The health stakes are real. PFAS exposure has been linked to ovarian and testicular cancer, infertility, and developmental delays in children. The chemicals are used in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and stain-resistant furniture, and they enter water supplies mainly through industrial runoff and firefighting foam. Rep. Paul Tonko is pushing to overhaul the Safe Drinking Water Act so PFAS is regulated at the federal level, saying Americans deserve confidence that the water from their tap is safe.
Closer to home, every public water utility is required to publish an annual water quality report, often called a consumer confidence report. It lists what was detected in your local supply and at what levels. You can usually find yours on your utility’s website or by calling them directly. Have you checked yours yet, and did anything in it surprise you?
