While there are hundreds of chemicals and pollutants we don’t want in our drinking water, PFAS chemicals deserve special attention. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as “forever chemicals” because once they are manufactured, most of them don’t break down into harmless components for decades or much longer. Due to their toxicity, they are very capable of causing health problems in humans. They accumulate in our bodies but are eliminated very slowly. Experts estimate that as many as 110 million Americans have these chemicals in their drinking water and nearly every American carries them around in their bodies.
Gradually, regulations are changing to eliminate these chemicals as much as possible. Because it’s going to take a very, very long time to get them out of our environment, it’s smart to understand what these chemicals are, what harm they can do and how to get them out of your drinking water.
What PFAS Are and Where They Came From
PFAS were developed in the 1930s as DuPont scientists were trying to develop a new refrigerant. The U.S. Navy and the 3M company created more PFAS in the 1950s and 1960s for the purpose of fighting fires. Eventually, there were hundreds of uses for this class of versatile chemicals.
Chemicals in this group include:
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) - Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)
- Ammonium pentadecafluorooctanoate (APFO)
- Nonadecafluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
There are now thousands of these chemicals in use. By the 2000s, many PFAS manufacturers began to phase out the manufacture and use of some PFAS as their toxic effects began to be learned. Some kinds of PFAS have been banned but there are thousands still in use.
Where You May Find These Chemicals in Your Home Right Now
These chemicals resist heat, water and oil, making them incredibly useful for consumer and industrial products. They have been used in the manufacture of products like these:
- Waterproof clothing
- Non-stick cookware
- Shampoo
- Dental floss
- Shaving cream
- Toothpaste
- Lipstick
- Mascara
- Stain-resistant carpets and upholstery
- Food wrappers
- Firefighting foam
- Artificial turf
- Contact lenses
- Diapers
- Pharmaceuticals
- Refrigerants
- Building materials
- And much more
What Problems Have Been Created by PFAS in Consumer or Industrial Products?
As far back as 1950, scientific studies began to reveal the problems that resulted from exposure to PFAS chemicals. According to the consumer protection group Environmental Working Group:
- By 1961, DuPont scientists warned that these chemicals damaged livers in animal tests.
- In 1970, the 3M company warned that PFAS chemicals were toxic to fish.
- In 1992, DuPoint found elevated risks of cancer among males working with PFOA, one type of PFAS.
It finally took a lawsuit on behalf of factory workers harmed by PFAS to bring the dangers to light. Finally, scientists began to compile well-verified information on the health risks of working with these chemicals or having them in the home. The following harms to health have since been confirmed through tests and research:
- Kidney, liver, pancreatic and testicular cancer
- Liver damage
- Low birth weight
- Higher cholesterol levels
- Endocrine disruption
- Accelerated puberty
- Behavior changes in children
- Damaged immunity among children
- Thyroid disease
- Decreased fertility
- High blood pressure in pregnant women
- Reduced effectiveness of vaccines
- Parkinson’s disease
At this time, PFAS have spread throughout the world, carried by air, water and soil. They are now found in animals and humans all around the world, even in the Arctic. Within the United States, these chemicals are found at too-high levels at water sampling sites along the coast in Mid-Atlantic and Southern states, up and down the Pacific coast and all through the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes areas. Other hotspots include many parts of Texas and Central Colorado. Military sites and airports across the country are very often highly contaminated with PFAS because of the use of PFAS in firefighting foam.
How to Reduce Exposure to the Most Dangerous PFAS Chemicals
In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted to control the quantity of six PFAS chemicals commonly found in drinking water. New enforceable regulations mandate low levels of these PFAS chemicals in drinking water:
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) - Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX)
- Mixture of two or more: PFNA, PFHxS, HFPO-DA, and PFBS
Medium-to-large public water company companies were required to start testing their supplies for 26 PFAS chemicals in 2023. These chemicals are so toxic that the presence of these toxins in water is measured in parts per trillion.
According to the EPA, the maximum contaminant levels for two of the most common types of PFAS—PFOA and PFOS—are currently set at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). That’s equivalent to a single drop of water added to five Olympic swimming pools. That’s at the very limit of detection using current tests. For PFNA, PFHxS and HFPO-DA, the enforceable limit is set at 10 parts per trillion. Water systems have until 2029 to reach these levels before the EPA will start penalizing them for their failures.
The EPA set a non-enforceable goal of zero for PFOA and PFOS, meaning that this is the ideal level of contamination but the EPA can’t enforce or penalize water systems that are unable to reach this level.
Where Are High Levels of PFAS Currently Found?
The Environmental Working Group has documented thousands of locations where PFAS contamination was vastly higher than safe levels. Here are some of the results of their testing:
- PFOS and PFOA in off-base drinking water at the Warminster Naval Air Warfare Center, Pennsylvania, tested at 22,400 ppt in 2018.
- PFOS and PFOA in on-base groundwater at the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex in Dallas, Texas, tested at 1,247,000 ppt in 2018.
- PFHxS in the groundwater at the Birmingham International Airport tested at 33,000 ppt in 2019. PFOS tested at 45,000 ppt.
- PFHxS in the on-base groundwater at Fort McClellan, Alabama, tested at 30,000 ppt in 2023.
In all these instances, the source was thought to be firefighting foam.
In municipal water supplies, the numbers are much lower but are often far in excess of the limits mandated by the EPA.
- Talty Special Utility District in Texas: PFBA tested at 38 ppt in 2024.
- Payson, Arizona, tested in 2023: PFBS tested at 55; PFPeA tested at 48.
- Atascadero State Hospital in California tested in 2023: PFHxS tested at 34.
- Fallston High School in Maryland, tested in 2024: PFHxS tested at 129 ppt, PFOS tested at 100.
With levels this high, those drinking the water are constantly being exposed to toxic, health-damaging and carcinogenic chemicals. These levels of PFAS in water do not have any unusual taste or odor so those drinking the water will have no idea about its contamination unless they get the water tested.
Are PFAS Only in Municipal Water Supplies or Can They Contaminate Private Wells?
PFAS can make their way into groundwater as a result of industrial spills, leakage from landfills and toxic waste disposal sites, discharges from wastewater treatment plants, and contamination from agricultural operations and use at airports and firefighter training sites. Unfortunately, PFAS that enter groundwater can travel long distances through soil and rock. Therefore, they can be found in any private drinking water well in America.
Municipal water systems that draw on groundwater will have the same contamination levels as private wells. Systems that use surface water may also be tapping into contaminated sources.
Once PFAS are in groundwater, they can remain intact for extremely long periods of time. A few of the chemicals from this class can break down in less than a year but other types could take 35 to 1000 years to degrade into harmless elements. In the meantime, these chemicals persist in our air, water and soil.
What You Can Do About PFAS in Your Well Water
The first step in ensuring you have healthy water to drink is testing your water for PFAS. This test requires a professional water testing laboratory. The quantities of these toxins in your drinking water that can do harm to your health are so tiny that no over-the-counter test can detect them.
Once you know which PFAS are in your water and how high the levels are, you can make a decision about how to filter out these contaminants. Good quality activated carbon filtration systems can remove as much as 100% of PFAS found in drinking water.
Ion exchange and reverse osmosis systems can also remove PFAS from drinking water. Every filtration or treatment system has its pros and cons when you take initial cost, filter replacement cost and time of filtration into consideration. Look on company websites for specific information on how effective a filter is in removing PFAS before you invest.
How likely is it that you could have PFAS in your water supply? The U.S. Geological Survey released the results of water sampling from 716 locations nationwide. They found at least one PFAS chemical in 45 percent of these drinking water samples. It is possible that as many as 200 million Americans are being served water that contains some PFOA and PFOS.
The Multiple Methods of Being Exposed to PFAS
Contamination of water supplies is a primary way Americans are encountering PFAS. But there are other channels of exposure to these chemicals. For example:
- Eating food wrapped in paper treated with PFAS such as fast food wrappers or microwave popcorn packaging.
- Eating fish from waters that contain PFAS.
- Breathing or swallowing residues or dust from consumer products that have been treated with PFAS such as water-repellent clothing or stain-resistant furniture or carpets.
- Eating food grown near areas that have been contaminated with PFAS, such as industrial sites, airports, military bases or landfills.
- Cooking food in cookware treated with PFAS to make them nonstick.
- Cleaning with household or automotive products that contain PFAS such as glass cleaners, carpet cleaners, dishwashing rinse aids, fabric cleaners, waxes, tire shine or auto polishes.
- Using cosmetics or personal care products that contain PFAS in their ingredients such as lipstick, nail polish, blush, cleansers, mascara, foundations, toothpaste, shampoo, sunscreen and shaving cream.
After being exposed to PFAS through contaminated drinking water, the next most common ways of being exposed to these chemicals are eating food grown in contaminated areas, eating fish caught in contaminated waters or eating food wrapped in PFAS-treated paper.
ETR Laboratories Can Help You Detect PFAS in Water and Decide on a Solution
At ETR Laboratories, our technicians have decades of experience testing water from wells all over the country to help homeowners ensure they have healthy water for their families. Not only can we quickly report on your PFAS levels (as well as detecting hundreds of other contaminants), we can advise you on the best filtration or treatment for your situation.
Once you receive the results of your test, our staff can help you choose the right type of water filtration to correct all the problems in your well water, including PFAS, arsenic, uranium, pesticides and many other substances. We provide this advice at no additional charge. Just call us once you receive your test results from our lab.
Because we perform all our own tests on our own equipment, your test results can be in your hands days faster than if you use a middleman to place your order. We provide testing services for thousands of municipalities in addition to well owners across the country. Many people served by city water supplies also want to know what’s in their water.
Get Your Own Water Test Started Today
If you’re ready to detect any PFAS contamination in your well water, or even your municipal water, call us today at (866) 640-4904. We will help you choose the right kind of water test for your situation. (We offer soil tests, too!) You can know your own personal exposure to PFAS chemicals in your well water in just days and start planning how to eliminate it.
Call (866) 640-4904 today to get started.