Four Forever Chemical Contamination Hot Spots Identified In Eastern United States

Experts said in the eastern United States, there are at least four hotspots for contamination by "forever chemicals".

According to researchers from West Virginia University who are economists, the highest pollution levels can be found in areas where there are many people living together, who earn more money, and where water is taken from underground.

chemical contamination — (Photo : Getty Images/Win McNamee)

Forever Chemical Hot Spots

By linking this data with socioeconomic variables like housing density, income and raw water input sources, they revealed that more populated, higher income communities with industries like manufacturing, health care, aviation, and defense indicate worrying levels.

Bigger agricultural regions, non-White populations, and lower economic groups had less contamination. Also, aquifer communities that were found to have higher risk of contamination compared with communities that depended on rivers and reservoirs.

The researchers added that addressing consumer items and industrial pollutants will be necessary to mitigate contamination.

List of hotspots is made up of ten states and 149 counties. This locations are situated in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. There is another hotspot which is composed of Delaware, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The smallest hotspot is located in Colorado while the one with third highest area is found right on the North and South Carolina borders.

Levan Elbakidze, professor of resource economics and management at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Division for Land-Grant Engagement, said the Colorado hotspot includes counties with the U.S. Space Command, an Air Force Base, and an Air Force Academy that use PFAS as part of their operations, while the regional hotspots have PFAS manufacturing plants, industrial sites that use PFAS, and/or densely populated communities

PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are chemicals that are known as forever chemicals and more than 14,000 varieties. PFAS are present in many products and could lead to cancer, heart disease, and infertility.

PFAS were first made for the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. They are resistant to heat, water, grease, and stains, and now they are broadly utilized in industrial processes including the production of nonstick cookware for household use alongside other household commodities.

Contaminated Water

The degree of PFAS's detrimental impact on health was unknown until recently, although even minute levels can have negative effects.

The amount of PFAS that the US Environmental Protection Agency deemed safe for drinking water was drastically reduced in 2022. Up to 270 million Americans are dependent on drinking water tainted with these substances.

PFAS are not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, however it does regulate water contaminants like E coli.

Elbakidze pointed out that stopping future hotspots is hard and the reasons for PFAS contamination are not fully understood. Moreover, he noted, EPA collects PFAS data on the water without having the power to enforce monitoring in public water systems.

Multiple sources of contamination might impact any water system, including a privately owned one or public one. Therefore, in the process of avoiding the use of such water to drink or prepare foods, it's important for you to test for PFAS in your water, as recommended by professionals.

"Most pollutants under the Safe Drinking Water Act are more prevalent in water systems that take water from the surface," Elbakidze said.