According to a major study by a US government agency, at least 45% of tap water in the United States is contaminated with PFAS, the so-called “eternal pollutants,” indicating even higher levels of contamination in urban areas.
Perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) are a family of synthetic chemical compounds, some of which are suspected to be harmful to health and even responsible for cancer or birth defects.
Nicknamed “eternal” because of their very long life cycle, these pollutants can end up in industrial effluents and landfills, contaminating various water sources.
“The United States Geological Institute (USGS) study is the first to compare the occurrence of PFAS in water distributed by both private and public providers nationwide,” Kelly Smalling, lead author of the study, told Friday AFP .
In its study, published this week in the journal Environment International, the USGS estimates the likelihood of finding PFAS in water in urban areas at 75% compared to 25% in rural areas.
“USGS scientists have been testing water samples taken directly from kitchen faucets across the country,” said USGS researcher Kelly Smalling.
“PFAS levels in public reserves and private wells were similar,” she added, adding that research has focused on 32 out of more than 12,000 types of PFAS, some of which are undetectable to humans. Current technologies.
The American group 3M, which is already involved in Belgium and the Netherlands in particular, announced last month that it would pay up to 12.5 billion dollars to put an end to the PFAS contamination lawsuits brought by several public drinking water companies in the United States.
The company announced that it intends to stop producing these pollutants by the end of 2025.