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Nearly half of tap water Americans drink is tainted with PFAS 'forever chemicals'
Medical Xpress / HealthDay / Environment International ^ | July 6, 2023 | Cara Murez / Kelly L. Smalling et al

Posted on 07/08/2023 7:27:22 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

"Forever chemicals" are widespread in the environment, and new research finds they can be detected in about 45% of U.S. tap water samples.

The chemicals are per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, and their spread through drinking water—both tap and well—may be even higher because researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were unable to test for all of them, CNN reported.

These synthetic substances have been linked to a variety of health issues, including cancer, liver damage, hormone suppression, decreased fertility, obesity, high cholesterol and thyroid disease.

To gauge the impact on drinking water, a team used water samples collected between 2016 and 2021 from 269 private wells and 447 public sources.

Their models suggest 45% of U.S. drinking water samples have at least one PFAS chemical. Lab tests developed by the USGS can also test for 32 compounds out of the 12,000 that exist.

"I don't think people should be afraid, but they should be aware and [arm] themselves with knowledge so that they can get information that will help them to make decisions," DeWitt said.

People can use a carbon filter on their drinking water. It will need to be changed regularly. Costly reverse osmosis filtering systems can also help, CNN reported.

Researchers found most contamination was from water sources near urban areas where PFAS chemicals were used or where waste was collected.

The Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the Eastern Seaboard and Central/Southern California had the highest PFAS concentrations in their water.

These chemicals are dangerous even at much lower levels than scientists previously knew, the EPA said in June 2022.

They are used in hundreds of household items, including carpets, clothing, dental floss, vehicles and food packaging for the purpose of stain resistance and keeping things from sticking. They can be found in foods.

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: contamination; dihydrogenmonoxide; pfas; pollution; potablewater; prepper; preppers; publicwater; tapwater; water; watersecurity
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To: ConservativeMind; 4everontheRight; 4Liberty; 5thGenTexan; 45semi; 101stAirborneVet; 300winmag; ...
Prepper Ping list :" Nearly half of tap water Americans drink is tainted with PFAS 'forever chemicals' "
Read the entire article and comments

ConservativeMind (From the article)”To gauge the impact on drinking water, a team used water samples collected between 2016 and 2021
from 269 private wells and 447 public sources.
Their models suggest 45% of U.S. drinking water samples have at least one PFAS chemical. “(Emphasis mine)
Lab tests developed by the USGS can also test for 32 compounds out of the 12,000 that exist. “

“People can use a carbon filter on their drinking water.
It will need to be changed regularly.
Costly reverse osmosis filtering systems can also help, CNN reported.

(My Opinion): Know your water source and the quality of testing employed.
What systems are employed to assure high quality potable water?
Most community water bureaus provide printed copies of testing results upon request.
If you have a private well, when is the last time you had the water quality tested ?
Much information is contained in the article, as well as in the article posted comments.
Knowledge is self-empowering.

41 posted on 07/09/2023 6:58:39 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
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To: ConservativeMind

EWG is an independent watch dog who likes to stir the pot but offers no solutions. But they’ll gladly take your money...and give you nothing.


42 posted on 07/09/2023 7:14:16 AM PDT by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: ConservativeMind

EWG is an independent watch dog who likes to stir the pot but offers no solutions. But they’ll gladly take your money...and give you nothing.


43 posted on 07/09/2023 7:14:16 AM PDT by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: ConservativeMind

As I recall:.

PFAS is very hard to-remove from water. It takes a LOT of carbon (like one or two 4x20” GAC filters at the faucet) or it takes supercritical water oxidation, which means oxidizing substances are added to PFAS-contaminated water and then the liquid is heated above its critical temperature of 374 degrees Celsius at a pressure of more than 220 bars.

There is no legal maximum amount for drinking water. So municipal water sources lack incentive to add the special filtering needed.

A major source of PFAS is that the FAA requires PFAS to be used in firefighting foam, even though there are alternatives. The foams are used in training and frequently dumped by airports and military facilities. They can do this because, while it is one of the worst pollutants, it is not legally a hazardous substance.

It is made by DuPont.

One of the few legitimate functions of government is to provide or enable clean drinking water, but instead they are causing contamination.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per-_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances


44 posted on 07/09/2023 7:18:48 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism.)
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To: ConservativeMind
These chemicals are dangerous even at much lower levels than scientists previously knew, the EPA said in June 2022.

Weeeelll, I really trust this news, now.

45 posted on 07/09/2023 7:19:52 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (FBI out of Florida!)
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To: Tilted Irish Kilt

It is telling for me that these articles rarely if ever talk about the concentrations involved. I suspect they are minuscule traces.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good independent testing lab for water quality samples? Would like to do a test of our water system’s work.


46 posted on 07/09/2023 8:01:47 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Sacajaweau

My solution is that you either be happy with what you get, or clean it up to where you are happy with what you drink.

Of course, you could refuse to drink anything until you fix the source emissions, but you’d be dead long before then.


47 posted on 07/09/2023 8:30:27 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: UnwashedPeasant

This is an excellent filter that gets rid of chloramine and chlorine, along with PFAS-type molecules and VOC:

MATRIKX CHLORAGUARD

https://1ca4c2.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chloraguard.pdf?time=1681928045

Our local water has chloramines and their byproducts, which are a lot more difficult to get out of the water. This filter now gets rid of PFAS, and I will be getting this when I need to change out my prior version.

Because bacteria can grow on any carbon media, we do need to replace such filters at least yearly, if not sooner, even if we came nowhere near the limits on gallons used.

I also use two filters that eliminate particulates to 0.2 micron or lower, but I do not use reverse osmosis.


48 posted on 07/09/2023 8:43:54 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: FreedomPoster
FreedomPoster :" It is telling for me that these articles rarely if ever talk about the concentrations involved.
I suspect they are minuscule traces."

"The Prepper Rule of Three":
You can live three minutes without air;
You can live three days without water; <-- THis Issue is being addressed)
You can live three weeks without food.

I agree that they are minuscule traces of "forever chemicals" in public, and private well, water.., however,
it is the total accumulation of these small traces that affect the human body.
Take for example, birth control hormone pills that may pass through the filtration system;
any light exposure would potentially be insignificant,
but collectively and in accumulated amounts, it would have significant effect on fertility (potentially of both male and female)water consumers.

49 posted on 07/09/2023 8:48:55 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
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To: FreedomPoster; ConservativeMind
I tend to lump "forever chemicals" and micro-plastics in the same category.
Hence, I never buy and aquaculture or sea foods sourced from China (questionable sanitary conditions).
50 posted on 07/09/2023 8:53:48 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
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To: Dr. Sivana

Costly reverse osmosis filtering systems can also help


51 posted on 07/09/2023 8:58:04 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: ConservativeMind

Some 500 years ago, Swiss chemist Paracelsus observed: “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.”

So what is the concentration of these “forever chemicals” in our drinking water? I’m certain that they are in far less than parts per million levels and likely at the limits of detectability. I prefer drinking RO water as my local municipal source is nasty in taste and makes horrible coffee


52 posted on 07/09/2023 9:16:56 AM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: Tilted Irish Kilt

This site has a strange sounding name but I ran into it looking for info about a certain chemical. Site has info on PFAS/forever chemicals (they do not leave the body) and many products that have them. DH had to throw all his Glide dental floss away, he had just bought a bunch on amazon. The affects from the PFAS chemical/s are not good at all, detailed on this site.

https://www.mamavation.com/product-investigations

Product Investigations

https://www.mamavation.com/


53 posted on 07/09/2023 10:46:41 AM PDT by little jeremiah (Never worry about anything. Worry never solved any problem or moved any stone.)
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To: ConservativeMind

We have used a Big Berkey water filtration system for 10 years. Before that we drank bottled spring water. We will soon be on a well at our new property and will filter the well water.


54 posted on 07/09/2023 12:29:54 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: ConservativeMind

Queue Colonel Jack D. Ripper and ‘’Our precious bodily fluids’’.


55 posted on 07/09/2023 12:48:35 PM PDT by jmacusa (Liberals. Too stupid to be idiots.)
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To: FreedomPoster

“Dihydrogen monoxide. Scary stuff indeed. “

If you come in contact with it, be sure and drinks lots of water. :)


56 posted on 07/09/2023 1:42:37 PM PDT by LeoTDB69
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To: ConservativeMind

I wonder how rainwater is affected by this.


57 posted on 07/10/2023 8:01:41 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Perhaps we should be less concerned with who we might offend and more concerned with who we inspire.)
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