New study finds above-limit quantities of PFAS “forever chemicals” in water globally

A new study, led by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia was published on Monday, April 8, 2024, in the Natural Geoscience journal, which found that “forever chemicals” exist at higher than allowable levels within global surface and groundwater resources.

Furthermore, these chemicals are perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”, because they fail to fully dissolve in the environment.

This PFAS group of substances involves some 14,000 different man-made chemicals.

They have been widely used for many decades as a means of resisting heat, water, grease, and stains, in a broad spectrum of items, ranging from nonstick frying pans and clothes to commercial airplanes and firefighting foam.

As time goes by, PFAS are being linked to harmful processes for humans and the environment, including some types of cancers, liver damage and more.

The study assessed the levels at which PFAS are present in global drinking water reserves, by collating more than 45,000 data points, considering a timeframe ranging from 2004 to the present year.

Moreover, it concluded that the concentration of PFAS in water reserves greatly exceeds existing allowable levels set by different national regulations, even in places like the Arctic.

However, another problem that was identified is that there is no unified global regulation, and different national approaches vary greatly between countries.

It is worth noting that these substances are mostly found in environmental water deposits, such as dams and lakes, and do not make it past the filtering processes used in drinking water networks.

Despite that, studies show that PFAS are present in the blood of roughly 98% of Americans, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and this is because they can be absorbed not only by drinking, but by exposure to dust, or food.

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established national limits for six types of PFAS in drinking water.