23 January 2020 - 'Forever chemicals' found in drinking water in major U.S. cities
'Forever chemicals' found in drinking water at 34 additional locations: survey
Zack Budryk (The Hill, 22/01/2020)
So-called forever chemicals have been discovered in drinking water at 34 previously unknown locations, according to a report released Wednesday by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The environmental watchdog group found perfluoroalkyl substances, referred to as PFAS, were found at some of the highest levels in Miami, New Orleans and Philadelphia, and indicate both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and previous reports by the EWG have underestimated the levels. PFAS are particularly resistant to breaking down in the environment and have been linked to numerous health problems.
U.S. Drinking Water Widely Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Watchdog Says
Timothy Gardner (The Huffington Post, 22/01/2020)
The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “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.
PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported
Sydney Evans, David Andrews, Ph.D., Tasha Stoiber, Ph.D., and Olga Naidenko, Ph.D. (Environmental Working Group, 22/01/2020)
New laboratory tests commissioned by EWG have for the first time found the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS in the drinking water of dozens of U.S. cities, including major metropolitan areas. The results confirm that the number of Americans exposed to PFAS from contaminated tap water has been dramatically underestimated by previous studies, both from the Environmental Protection Agency and EWG’s own research.
Based on our tests and new academic research that found PFAS widespread in rainwater, EWG scientists now believe PFAS is likely detectable in all major water supplies in the U.S., almost certainly in all that use surface water. EWG’s tests also found chemicals from the PFAS family that are not commonly tested for in drinking water.
Toxic 'forever chemicals' found in drinking water across major cities, as Trump claims US has 'cleanest water on Earth'
Clark Mindock (The Independent, 22/01/2020)
The number of Americans exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals in their drinking water has been dramatically underestimated previously, according to a new study that has found toxic PFAS chemicals at dangerous levels in dozens of US cities.
The study’s release illustrates a concerning trend just as environmental regulation in the United States have faced a full-on assault during the Trump administration, and comes just as Donald Trump himself has claimed in a speech to world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that his country has some of the best water in the world.