9 mo. ago • 99%

At least 60% of US population may face ‘forever chemicals’ in tap water, tests suggest

www.theguardian.com At least 60% of US population may face ‘forever chemicals’ in tap water, tests suggest

Federal tests of one-third of water systems find 70 million Americans exposed to PFAS – suggesting 200 million affected overall

Federal tests of one-third of water systems find 70 million Americans exposed to PFAS – suggesting 200 million affected overall

About 70 million people are exposed to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in US drinking water, new testing from the Environmental Protection Agency has found.

But the testing completed to date has only checked about one-third of the nation’s public water systems, meaning the agency is on pace to find over 200 million people are exposed, or at least 60% of the US population.

The figure does not include private wells, and the federal government previously estimated about 8 million people who draw water from those are exposed to PFAS.

The EPA’s continuing testing is the first comprehensive nationwide assessment aimed at understanding the scale of PFAS contamination in US drinking water. So far, the government figures match up with independent estimates that found about 200 million people drink tainted water, and the widespread contamination cuts across geographic and socioeconomic boundaries.

15 comments

Oh cool. As if my generation isnt already dealing with microplastics. Now it's forever chemicals in our tap water.

25
- *all generations
  
  6
- It's alright. These chemicals have been in all of our homes for decades. It's just now in the drinking water too!
  
  5
  
  Teflon baby! Yeah!
  
  1
If it cuts through socioeconomic boundaries, then there's a chance for regulation and enforcement. 🫠

14
- Not if some rich bastard can invent a disposable filter they can sell to you
  
  4
  
  Great point.
  
  1
Reverse-osmosis water filtration systems is what you need at home to have clean drinking water now, it's a reliable way to remove PFAS and other bullshit from your tap water.

https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/not-all-home-drinking-water-filters-completely-remove-toxic-pfas

11
- You do also lose all of the fluoride and other dissolved ions/minerals when you do RO. It's not the end of the world, but the effect fluoride in the drinking water has had on dental health since the 50s is notable, and depending on your diet, you may actually want some of the naturally occurring minerals in your water. Still worth looking into though!
  
  3
  
  I'm glad to not be drinking fluoride, it's no good for ingestion. I get plenty from my toothpaste already. Calcium and other beneficial minerals are re-added after filtration with the system that I bought.
  
  3
  
  just throw some coal in there lol
  
  1
  
  You don’t need all of that shit as long as you eat a healthy diet and take care of your teeth.
  
  -2
May face? Wtf does that mean? Sounds like we already have it and will face the consequences

2
- That's pretty much what it is, unfortunately :/
  
  1

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