Majority of US Waterways Contaminated by Cancer-Linked ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Analysis Reveals

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) have been used in many consumer and industrial products since the 1940s. Often used to make products water-resistant, they break down very slowly over time and tend to build up in both the human body and the environment. PFAs have been linked to cancer and disease in humans.

Waterkeeper Alliance, a worldwide network of environmental organizations focusing on clean water, recently determined that the majority of US waterways were polluted with cancer-linked “forever chemicals.”

The agency conducted its analysis of US waterways in May and July of this year, taking 228 samples from 114 different rivers and streams across 34 states and the District of Columbia. Researchers found that 83% of the samples were found to have PFAs at levels that exceed federal limits, with 70% of those water sources detecting the most dangerous kinds of chemicals: PFOS and PFOA.

“The results clearly show widespread PFAS contamination across the country and demonstrate that existing laws and regulations are inadequate for protecting us,” said Marc Yaggi, CEO of the Waterkeeper Alliance.

The alliance blames lax regulations governing the ways industrial companies dispel chemicals into the environment, though the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently lowered its health advisory limit for PFOA and PFOS down to .004 and .02 parts per trillion (ppt), effectively deeming that no level of exposure is safe.

In some areas, contamination levels were “thousands to hundreds of thousands” times higher than recommended levels, according to the study, with the greatest concentration of PFOA found in a Pennsylvania creek: 847 parts per trillion. However, in New York, 100% of the waterways tested were contaminated by the chemicals.

According to the research, landfills, airports, paper mills, and wastewater treatment plants – an estimated 30,000 facilities – are among the common sources of PFAs, which makes addressing the problem expensive. But third-party reviewers of the study emphasize the importance of lowering the numbers.

GenX, a newer kind of PFAs often used in teflon coating, cellphones, and other kinds of technology, was found at 25.8 ppb in Cape Fear River, North Carolina, which is more than 2 times the EPA’s health advisory level. According to other reports, GenX was originally created as an alternative to older PFOAs, but is notoriously difficult to filter out of water.

Bob Bowcock, who founded the Integrated Resource Management environmental compliance firm, said in a statement to The Hill that “non-essential uses [of PFAs] should end,” and that “cleanup of highly contaminated sites should be prioritized.”

“When we began testing waterways for PFAS earlier this year, we knew that our country had a significant PFAS problem, but these findings confirm that was an understatement,” said Marc Yaggi in a statement.

Waterkeeper groups are now asking Congress and the EPA to act with appropriate urgency to remediate the PFAS contamination across the country, including the Clean Water Standards Act, which aims to establish requirements and incentives limiting the discharge of PFOS and PFOAs under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

A map of contamination sites from the study can be viewed here.