July 6 (UPI) -- At least 45% of U.S. tap water has PFAS chemical contamination, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS study checked for 32 types of PFAS "forever chemicals."
PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl, can cause serious health problems, including cancer, from long-term exposure. There are more than 12,000 types of PFAS and not all of them can be detected by current tests, according to the USGS.
"USGS scientists tested water collected directly from people's kitchen sinks across the nation, providing the most comprehensive study to date on PFAS in tap water from both private wells and public supplies," USGS research hydrologist Kelly Smalling said in a statement.
"The study estimates that at least one type of PFAS -- of those that were monitored -- could be present in nearly half of the tap water in the U.S. Furthermore, PFAS concentrations were similar between public supplies and private wells."
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For the study, scientists collected tap water from 716 locations. The study found that most of the chemical exposure was found near urban areas and potential PFAS sources.
In March, the Biden administration announced new national drinking water standards allowing EPA to test public water systems for six types of PFAS chemicals and to take action to reduce PFAS levels in water supplies.
In 2022 a study found these chemicals are linked to the most common type of liver cancer.
3M, a major manufacturer of PFAS chemicals, announced a $10.3 billion settlement with public water suppliers nationwide after the company was accused of contaminating drinking water.
In June of that year the EPA warned that these PFAS "forever chemicals" cause negative human health effects at much lower levels than previously thought.
The USGS study took samples from private wells in addition to samples from public water sources.
Because the burden of private-well maintenance falls on the owners, information remains scarce and limited to testing for just a few contaminants due to the high cost.
"This circumstance leads to the increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures and adverse health effects to private-well dependents and illustrates the continued need for comparable assessments in both private-wells and public-supply at the point-of-use," the USGS study said.
