Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ taint nearly half of U.S. tap water, study estimates

In the latest evidence of the pervasiveness of “forever chemicals,” a new study from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that these contaminants now taint nearly half of the nation’s tap water.
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The federal study, one of the most extensive of its kind looking directly at water coming out of a tap, adds to a body of research showing that PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — chemicals are not only long-lasting but widespread in drinking supplies.

PFAS refers to more than 12,000 chemicals that persist in the environment and can build up in the body. They are widely used in industry and consumer products, ranging from clothing and cosmetics to fast-food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags.

“Millions of people have been drinking a toxic forever chemical linked to cancer all their lives and are only discovering it today,” Scott Faber, the senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said Thursday on the research.

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