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Wednesday, October 28, 2020
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The Risks We Expose Ourselves to when Drinking Water

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Drinking water turned unsafe.

Drinking water sprinkling from a fountain

(Mirror Daily, United States) As if there were not enough reasons to be worried about, pollution rates grow higher. Experts’ latest study finds that there are reasons for people to be concerned about their drinking water: chemical PFAS is infecting safe water. 

A new study led by the University of Harvard shows that 6 million people across the United States are exposed to unsafe drinking water, due to PFAS (poly and perfluoroalkyl substances). This is not a natural element, but a chemical made by man, and it mostly used by firefighters to put out fires.

The findings of the study are a concern, as the running water in Americans’ houses is not safe to drink. Specialists say that the toxins in the water can even cause cancer and affect pregnant women and their newborn babies.

KQED Science reports on the statistics:

“They found significant amounts of one chemical in 66 water supplies. Two other versions of the chemicals showed up in nearly 200 supplies. In some cases, the level was barely above the maximum allowable limit set by the government. Others were far higher. The researchers say some 6 million people in 14 states are served by these water sources.”

One of the most affected states is California, to which 75% of the discovery have been assigned. CBS Minnesota provides us with a top of the most affected states:

  1. California

  2. New Jersey

  3. Alabama

  4. Florida

  5. Pennsylvania

  6. Ohio

  7. New York

  8. Georgia

  9. Minnesota

  10. Arizona

There are regions in the United States which have not been verified yet.

The Department of Health addressed the population through a statement for WCCO:

“The bottom line is, we will continue to look for PFCs in drinking water supplies because of the potential for health effects in people and where we find it, we will work with water supply operators or well owners to advise them of their options for reducing the contamination and reducing the health risks.”

The good news about the situation is that no significant amount of the substances has been detected. However, the existence of PFAS in the drinking water is not something researchers want to neglect, as this would mean risking people’s health. Further investigation will be carried out.

The existing study was published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters.

Image courtesy of: Wikipedia

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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.

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