Nobody wants to think there are chemicals in their drinking water—but it’s a fact that many Americans needs to face. Health experts and environmental advocates have been encouraging more discussion in recent years about PFAS, short for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals.”
As the nickname suggests, these microplastics don’t break down. They linger in the air we breathe, the soil in which we grow our food, and the water we drink. Because of this, they often end up consumed by humans or animals, where they can accumulate in the body. In fact, in February 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency released data showing that about 70 million Americans have consumed drinking water contaminated by PFAS.
That’s bad news, because this bioaccumulation of microplastics in our bodies has negative health consequences, including cancer and damage to our DNA, our reproductive systems, and our immune function. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 90 percent of people have been exposed to forever chemicals, determining that exposure is so commonplace that the agency put out guidelines for dealing with them. This CDC guidance encourages health care providers to test for PFAS in a patient’s blood, and to talk to patients about how they can reduce future exposure.
Although the EPA and CDC warn about the risks associated with these forever chemicals, there are still no laws at the federal level regulating PFAS in drinking water. Currently, nine states have laws in place. Maryland currently has laws regulating the use of PFAS in fire-fighting products and apparatus, food packaging, and carpets, but there are no laws setting limits in drinking water.
Until standards are set by law, many consumers take a risk by drinking any water, including bottled water. Because the FDA does not regulate PFAS in bottled water, it is possible that some products still contain them. The International Bottled Water Association requires its members to test and limit products, but not all bottled water manufacturers and distributors are a member of this organization.
For those who are wary of the risks surrounding PFAS, one safety method is to install your home tap with a water treatment method certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, such as reverse osmosis or an activated carbon filter. Both of these methods use a type of filter (a semipermeable membrane in the case of reverse osmosis, and granulated activated carbon in the case of a carbon filter) to remove contaminants from the water. This can leave your home tap water clean and as free from as many chemicals as possible.
