According to researchers, at least 45% of the population have detectable levels of PFAS in their drinking water. But the levels are far from consistent across the country. Recently the EPA rolled back plans to limit the amount of PFAS allowed in drinking water. But here we look at why you should care about how much PFAS you are drinking, and what you can do to reduce it.
Background: What is PFAS?
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. A bit of a mouthful, hence the increasingly common term “forever chemicals”. This large group of chemicals are widely used in manufacturing and household products. They have various useful properties.
There are broadly 2 categories of PFAS: long-chain polymers, such as PTFE (the traditional non-stick coating for cookware); and shorter chain compounds, such as PFOS and PFOA. These latter compounds are typically used in applications where you want to spray the PFAS onto a surface. They are also an essential chemical in the manufacture of the long-chain polymer PFAS compounds.
Where you find PFAS
Here are some of the most common places to find PFAS around the home.
- Non-stick pans are covered in a layer of PFAS material. However, this is probably only a minor source of PFAS exposure.
- Fast-food packaging is often coated with grease-resistant PFAS. Microwave popcorn bags are a particularly high source of PFAS.
- Waterproof jackets may be treated with durable water resistant coatings made of PFAS. These PFAS can potentially be absorbed through the skin.
- Stain-resistant coatings on furniture and carpets are typically made using PFAS. This can then leach into the air as dust and be ingested.
However, by far the biggest source of PFAS is your water supply.
How PFAS gets in the water supply
There are two significant sources of PFAS in the water supply. Firstly, firefighting foam contains large amounts of shorter “perfluoro” compounds like PFOA. Secondly, compounds like PFOS and PFHxS have been widely used in manufacturing. In areas near manufacturing plants, airports, or military bases, large amounts of PFAS have been released into the environment either accidentally or on purpose. However, some of these PFAS are effectively indestructible in the environment. That means they just accumulate over time. Studies have shown that PFOS and PFHxS are found in almost every habitat on the planet. These compounds are very easily dissolved into water, and can be found in rain and snow.
From there, the PFAS enters the groundwater and ultimately the treated water that your utility company delivers to your house. This is probably a key reason why almost every human has some level in our blood.
How much does it matter?
PFAS in low concentrations is probably largely safe. However, in their large-scale study, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) identified the levels where you should be concerned. In their recommendation, if you have a total of <2ng/mL of PFAS in serum you are likely to have no ill effects. Between 2 and 20 ng/mL you should be concerned if you are in a high risk group (e.g. pregnant or breastfeeding women). Above 20 is definitely of concern.
Note: These levels are given for blood serum tests. Those are the tests where someone takes a syringe of blood from your arm using a needle and tube. Home tests like the Relentless Health PFAS Core Panel measure the PFAS in whole blood. As a rule of thumb, if you have 1 ng/mL PFAS in whole blood, that’s equivalent to 2 ng/mL in serum.
When is PFAS in my water a problem?
There have been a few studies over the years looking at how quickly certain PFAS compounds can accumulate in your blood. This calculator lets you see how quickly your levels might build up. For example, imagine a pre-menopausal woman who starts off with 2ng/mL of PFOA in her blood (a typical level for someone living in the US). If she lives in Woodbridge, NJ, she could be exposed to 36 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOA in the water. After 5 years her level will have more than doubled to 4.8ng/mL. Meanwhile, if her husband started with the same level, he would be at 5.1ng/mL.
Exposure near military bases
The above pales into insignificance if you compare it to someone drinking well water from a well near a major airbase. For example, the CDC ATSDR conducted a major study of residents living in Lubbock County, TX. This site was used by the USAF to test PFAS-containing firefighting foams as early as the 1970s and many locals rely on well water. The study found that residents that were tested had over 4x the national level of PFHxS in their blood. And according to publicly available data, some US Airbases have been found to have levels of over 1 million parts per trillion in their groundwater.
What to do if you’re worried
If you live in an area with potentially high PFAS levels there’s a few things you can do about it.
Get your water tested
The first step is to test your water supply for PFAS. PFAS levels as low as a few parts per trillion can be enough to cause you problems in the long term. So, we would recommend the EPA 1633 PFAS Water Test. This covers the largest range of PFAS and has the highest sensitivity for some compounds. Alternatively, the GenX and PFAS water test is a good option.
Install water filters if needed
If the water test shows high levels for any PFAS, especially for PFOA, PFOS, PHFxS, or GenX, you need to install filters to clean your water. There are a wide range of filters available, but you should choose one that is certified to remove PFAS. The NSF has a certification scheme for water filters. Try to find one that is certified to the latest version of NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or NSF/ANSI Standard 58.
Get you and your family tested
It’s also a good idea to get PFAS blood tests for yourself and your family. This allows you to check your current levels. You can then repeat the testing in a few months to see whether the water filters are working as expected.
Conclusions
PFAS chemicals are now found in every environment on earth and almost all of us have some level in our blood. The body does slowly clear these chemicals, however, if you are drinking water with high levels of PFAS your levels will keep going up. Ultimately, this will become a significant problem for your health. Reducing your exposure to PFAS in drinking water may be the single biggest step you can take to reduce your overall PFAS levels.
