Study: Public water supply unsafe for millions of Americans

(CNN) Millions of Americans may be drinking water from a public water supply with unsafe levels of industrial chemicals, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. These chemicals, known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, have been linked to high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression — and even cancer.

Introduced more than 60 years ago, PFAS are a category of man-made chemicals that degrade very slowly, if at all, in the environment. “I do think that Americans should be concerned about these chemicals,” said Susan M. Pinney, a professor in the department of environmental health at University of Cincinnati. Pinney, who did not participate in the new research, explained that not enough time has elapsed to understand all the long-term health effects of these toxins. “PFAS are organic compounds that are really useful,” said Xindi Hu, lead author of the new study and a doctoral student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This usefulness means these chemicals are used to make such items as food packaging materials (such as pizza boxes and popcorn bags), fabrics, nonstick cooking pans and firefighting foams. As a result of their ubiquity, the chemicals migrate into air, household dust, food, soil […]

Full article: Study: Public water supply unsafe for millions of Americans