Biden today announced a crackdown on Forever chemicals in American drinking water, which will force utilities and local governments to remove the toxins from the tap.
More than 70 million Americans live in homes with water contaminated with the chemicals, and the government estimates that half of the nation’s water sources contain high levels of the chemicals.
Campaigners have called for the substances to be removed from water as a growing body of research links them to cancer, infertility and a host of other health problems, including autism.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week issued mandates requiring six substances from the group known as PFAS chemicals to drop to near-zero levels in tap water.
Hailed as ‘life-changing’ and ‘historic’, they now represent the first-ever national regulation for these types of chemicals.
TYPE YOUR ZIP CODE INTO THE SEARCH BAR BELOW TO DISCOVER PFAS LEVELS IN YOUR LOCAL WATER SUPPLY
The Environmental Working Group, an activist organization focused on environmental pollutants, has mapped the communities and military sites confirmed to be contaminated with PFAS
PFAS are microscopic substances that take thousands of years to break down in the environment or the human body, earning them the name “forever chemicals.”
Their main purpose is to repel water and oil, which makes nonstick cookware easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain.
The chemicals can seep into the water during washing and end up in food if the packaging is made grease-proof or if the non-stick coating on pots and pans begins to deteriorate.
PFAS are also common in pesticides used to feed crops, creating chemical-rich waste that can enter drinking water supplies. There is no level of safe exposure to the chemicals.
A 2023 EPA report found that 45 percent of drinking water sources contained at least one PFAS – with the highest concentrations in the Great Plains, Great Lakes, East Coast and Central/Southern California.
The tests were limited to 32 types of PFAS out of more than 12,000 in existence, meaning thousands of chemicals could have gone undetected.
If so, it may indicate that the problem is even bigger than the research suggests.
2020 Environmental Working Group (EWG) data ranks Brunswick County, North Carolina, as the top region in the U.S. for PFAS in drinking water
The cities depicted on the map are just a handful of the many cities that have been found to have higher concentrations of PFAS in public water supplies and private wells.
Most of the pollution was concentrated in densely populated urban areas, which the researchers said was due to increased industry and a greater number of waste sites in general, including factories and landfills, which are known to generate PFAS.
An earlier analysis by DailyMail.com found that cities with the highest levels of toxic chemicals in tap water also had above-average rates of illness and pregnancy complications.
The majority of neighborhoods with the highest levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water suffer more cancer diagnoses and deaths each year than the rest of the country and see more babies born at dangerously low weights.
The average annual rate of new cancer diagnoses in America each year is about 439 cases per 100,000 people, but seven of the ten top-scoring counties for PFAS contamination saw their rates exceed the national benchmark.
Cancer deaths were also higher in seven of the worst-affected neighborhoods, while six of the areas had birth weights higher than the national average.
The analysis looked at the 10 cities and counties identified in an Environmental Working Group report as having the highest levels of PFAS in drinking water.
They were: Brunswick County, NC; Quad Cities, Iowa; Miami, FL; Bergen County, NJ; Wilmington, NC; Philadelphia, Pa.; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; Charleston, S.C.; and Decatur, AL.
A slew of studies have found links between PFAS and high cholesterol, liver damage, low birth rate, childhood obesity, hormone disruption, thyroid problems, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, increased risk of cancer and damage to reproductive health and fertility.
EPA rules now require public water utilities to test for six different types of PFAS.
To help municipalities reach the near-zero goal, the agency will provide $1 billion to states to implement testing and water treatment in public water systems.
In a statement announcing the ruling, the EPA said the move could prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said, “Drinking water contaminated with PFAS has plagued communities across this country for too long.”
He added, “Our PFAS Strategic Roadmap brings together the full breadth of EPA’s authority and resources to protect people from these forever harmful chemicals. Today I am proud to complete this crucial part of our roadmap, saving thousands of lives and ensuring our children grow up healthier.”
