The World Health Organization (WHO) has laid out basic guidelines for water quality. Many countries refer to this outline while forming their water regulation policies and setting the base standard for water quality.
Each country follows a different set of protocols; Drinking water considered safe in one country might not be considered safe in the U.S. for example.
Despite this, several people are affected by water contamination every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for instance, estimated that over 7.2 million U.S. citizens fall sick due to diseases that spread through water.
The most recent discovery is known as Forever Chemicals. Found to be in the water consumed by almost all Americans, forever chemicals are difficult to break down naturally. This is because they are often used to make products that are resistant to oil, grease, and heat, among others.
What Are Forever Chemicals
Many harmful chemicals like arsenic, lead, and radon can contaminate tap water, making it unsafe for consumption. In some cases, water is contaminated due to improper testing or negligence. Water contaminations of this kind – like the calamity that took place during the Camp Lejeune water crisis – can often be lethal.
In what is an extreme case of water contamination, over a million people are said to have been exposed to these toxic chemicals between 153 and 1987.Symptoms of the Camp Lejeune water contamination crisis included leukemia, liver cancer, and lung cancer among others.
The contamination at Camp Lejeune was due to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) making their way into the water supply. These VOCs included degreasers, cleaning solvents, and over 70 other chemicals that are hazardous to our health.
More recent studies reveal the presence of ‘forever chemicals’ in our water supplies today.
Many production operations, like chemical plants, car washes, and sewage treatment plants use forever chemicals. As a by-product of these activities, forever chemicals make their way into the water supply. According to the tests conducted by scientists at the CDC, the exposure appears to be widespread throughout the American population.
Forever chemicals is the term used to refer to Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). These are components of many products we use daily. Many items around you like your furniture, clothes, and the package your food was delivered in contain PFAS.
PFAS are very slow to break down naturally and possess the ability to travel through soils. This is one of the ways PFAS or forever chemicals contaminate drinking water.
The Effect On Our Health
If the source of forever chemicals discussed above is to be believed, it would mean that people have been exposed to forever chemicals for extended periods of time. This is the case, but research on their effects has been a more recent development.
So far, studies have not been able to find a link between forever chemicals and many types of cancers. There is some initial indication that there could be a heightened risk of testicular and kidney cancer, though this is not conclusive yet.
Another study revealed that PFAS can affect female reproduction. The findings highlighted breast, thyroid, and reproductive issues. It was found that the risk of PCOS increases as well.
Purifying Your Water
TorHoerman Law lists out the efforts undertaken to keep tap water safe in the U.S. The Safe Drinking Water Act, and Clean Water Act were passed in order to ensure stringent regulations for drinking water.
Nonetheless, It is worth being vigilant given that researchers are still to completely understand the effects of forever chemicals on our health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has outlined three methods that have proven to be effective in removing forever chemicals from our drinking water.
- High-Pressure Membranes: Reserve osmosis and nanofiltration are some examples of high-pressure membranes being used for filtration. Here, water is passed through a number of membranes. Clean water is allowed to pass through while contaminants like forever chemicals are held back.
- Ion Exchange Treatment: Ions that are positively charged have a magnetizing effect on PFAS that are negatively charged. When water passes through, PFAS are held back by the positively charged ions, and clean water is passed on.
- Activated Carbon Treatment: Activated carbon is part of many water purifiers. Here water is passed through activated carbon which helps remove contaminants. Many water purifiers already employ activated carbon.
Conclusion
Every so often research unveils previously unknown ways we could be exposed to harmful substances. Forever chemicals are one such example. Though the research on them is in the early stages, it might be worth considering an upgrade to your water filtration system if it is not equipped with the aforementioned treatment options. It is worth noting that upgrading your water filtration system can be an expensive affair.
Another step you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones is to check for products in your house that have PFAS. If you can find PFAS-free alternatives, you could be taking a step towards reducing the contamination of water with forever chemicals.