More than 70 million Americans are drinking tap water contaminated with “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, as well as reproductive and immune system damage, according to a federal study.
These “forever chemicals” — formally known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are microscopic, man-made compounds that can’t be broken down by the body.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency reported this month that after testing just one-third of public water supplies in the US, an alarming number of residents are being exposed to “forever chemicals.”
Of the 3,700 water systems tested by the EPA, the most contaminated were found in densely populated regions like New York, New Jersey, and parts of California and Texas.
The EPA’s results were extrapolated and applied to population figures in an analysis by the activist organization Environment Working Group (EWG), the Daily Mail earlier reported.
“The full scale of PFAS contamination is likely much more widespread,” an EWG spokesperson said, noting that the EPA’s report only provides a snapshot of the situation in the US.
Big Apple residents, however, seem to have clean drinking water.
The EPA’s interactive map of PFAS contamination across US water systems showed that the island of Manhattan had zero reports of “forever chemicals.”
New York City’s Environmental Protection organization even touts on its website that the Big Apple’s “drinking water is world-renowned for its quality.”
But it’s not just the water systems where PFAS pose a threat to human health. The chemicals are also found in food packaging, cookware, clothes, and cleaning supplies as they’re known to serve as a protective heat-, oil- and stain-resistant barrier in many household items, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. --->READ MORE HERE
Mapping the PFAS contamination crisis: New data show 5,021 sites in 50 states, the District of Columbia and four territories
Update: February 5, 2024: The Environmental Protection Agency has released the second round of public water system testing data for the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, as required by its Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, or UCMR 5. The data reveal 1,245 sites have detectable levels of PFAS. The results highlight the sheer scale of the PFAS problem in the U.S. They build on EWG’s landmark PFAS contamination map.
WHY IS THIS MAP IMPORTANT?
The number of U.S. communities confirmed to be contaminated with the highly toxic fluorinated compounds known as PFAS continues to grow at an alarming rate. As of February 2024 and the latest data shows 5,021 locations in 50 states, the District of Columbia and four territories are known to be contaminated.
The latest update of this interactive map shows PFAS pollution in public and private water systems. Details about our sources and methodology are here.
Information about sites newly added to the map comes from various PFAS detections reported to the EPA under UCMR 5, which requires monitoring of public water systems for 29 PFAS between 2023 and 2025. More data will be released on a rolling basis over the next two years. --->READ MORE HERE AND EXPLORE THE MAP
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