Although none of us would deliberately put ourselves or our loved ones in harm’s way, inadvertent exposure to environmental toxins may do that very thing. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, collectively known as PFAS, are one such example and may be as dangerous as they are common.
PFAS — also known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or human body — are in the blood of most Americans due to their presence in food, water, household objects and more, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PFAS exposure has been associated with a host of medical conditions, from heart disease to cancer to fertility problems.
Are there ways to avoid PFAS altogether? Eliminating exposure to them is no easy feat since PFAS are all around us. However the U.S. government has recently taken action to protect people from these chemicals, and there are some ways you can minimize your risk and limit your exposure as an individual.
EPA addresses forever chemicals in tap water
For the first time, on April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established national limits on several types of PFAS in drinking water, which includes tap water.
The EPA’s rule for PFAS in drinking water includes:
- The most-studied types of PFAS — PFOA and PFOS — cannot exceed 4 parts per trillion in public drinking water.
- FNA and PFHxS (older versions of PFAS) and GenX chemicals (created to replace PFOA) are restricted to 10 parts per trillion.
These are the lowest limits that labs can detect and therefore that water systems can treat, NBC News reported. The EPA estimated that up to 10% of the country’s water systems, affecting about 100 million people, will need to make changes to meet these standards.
However, for most of these chemicals, it takes “between two to eight years for the amount in our bodies to decrease by half. So we’re looking at years before we see some substantial decreases in our exposure over time,”…
Read the full article here
