PFAS: US drinking water contamination with 'forever chemicals' far worse than scientists thought
Source: Reuters
US drinking water contamination with ‘forever chemicals’ far worse than scientists thought
Reuters
Wed 22 Jan 2020 18.08 GMT
Last modified on Wed 22 Jan 2020 18.41 GMT
The contamination of US drinking water with manmade “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group.
The chemicals, resistant to breaking down in the environment, are known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems.
The findings here by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) show the group’s previous estimate in 2018, based on unpublished US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, that 110 million Americans may be contaminated with PFAS, could be far too low.
“It’s nearly impossible to avoid contaminated drinking water from these chemicals,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at EWG and co-author of the report.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/22/us-drinking-water-contamination-forever-chemicals-pfas
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Related: PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported (Environmental Working Group)
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