PFAS are in Headlines Again, but One Regulation for these ‘Forever Chemicals’ Might be Forever Off the Table
By: ABC13
Jan 29, 2025
Nearly 7% of Americans—approximately 23 million people—may be exposed to hazardous levels of PFAS "forever chemicals" through treated municipal wastewater, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study reveals that many wastewater treatment facilities fail to effectively remove PFAS from purified water, which then reenters municipal drinking water supplies. This issue is expected to grow as treated wastewater constitutes an increasing share of drinking water resources.
PFAS, synthetic compounds found in household products, industrial waste, and firefighting foam, are highly persistent in the environment and the human body, with links to cancer and other severe illnesses. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates six types of PFAS, these represent a fraction of the estimated 15,000 variants in use. The researchers, led by environmental engineer Bridger Ruyle of NYU, also identified significant levels of organofluorine compounds, including fluorinated pharmaceuticals, in treated wastewater. These pharmaceuticals, not currently subject to EPA oversight, accounted for up to 75% of the organofluorine compounds detected, while regulated PFAS made up less than 10%. Even advanced wastewater treatment systems were found to remove less than 25% of these compounds.
The study underscores the challenges of regulating complex mixtures of toxic chemicals like PFAS and fluorinated pharmaceuticals, given the sheer number of variants and the current regulatory framework, which evaluates substances individually. The authors call for a class-based regulatory approach to PFAS and improvements to wastewater treatment infrastructure. They also advocate for further research, including randomized sampling of diverse treatment plants, to better understand the environmental and health impacts of persistent organofluorine compounds in drinking water.
For more information, see the original article and the published study.
