Words like “always,” “forever” and “eternity” mean great things when used in love songs.
Not so much when they’re used to describe chemicals that you find in your drinking water.
What Are Forever Chemicals in Water? Class of Contaminants is Defined by Its Staying Power
Not surprisingly, “forever chemicals” are named that way because they don’t easily break down or degrade. “Forever chemical” is the layman’s term for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
So-called forever chemicals hang around the environment for centuries, or even millennia. And they stick around our bodies for a long time as well, potentially wreaking havoc on our health.
That quality is useful for the application that forever chemicals were initially designed for — to be used in firefighting foam, bakeware, makeup, dental hygiene products and other items that must withstand high heat or extreme conditions.
But the extreme staying power is a bad thing when the chemicals get into your water supply, leaving you to ingest chemicals that were never meant to be consumed.
Alarmingly, forever chemicals are quite common in drinking water. According to a study commissioned by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, the majority of American drinking water probably contains forever chemicals.
Currently, there are no federal limits set for the acceptable amounts of PFAS or forever chemicals in water. EWG believes the PFAS problem is very serious; EWG Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber says that the “PFAS pollution crisis is a public health emergency.”
Hexavalent Chromium, or Chromium 6, Gets Counted with Its Non-Toxic Counterpart
The acclaimed 2000 film Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts and named after the real-life water purity advocate, detailed the long saga in which toxic hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6, has ”flown under the radar” as a water contaminant. Chromium 6 is a known carcinogen and a reproductive toxicant, and it’s included in California’s Prop 65 index of toxic substances.
Hexavalent chromium is one of two types of chromium that occurs in the environment; the other is trivalent chromium, or chromium 3. While chromium 6 is toxic, chromium 3 isn’t; in fact, chromium 3 is an essential nutrient.
But under the EPA’s federal guidelines regarding legally acceptable pollutant levels in tap water, you won’t find reference to trivalent chromium or hexavalent chromium. Instead, there’s just a limit set for the vague “total chromium,” which encompasses both the benign and the harmful versions of the chemical. The amount of chromium in your water is found by taking the average of both, and it’s set at 50 parts per billion.
This is concerning, as authorities have suggested that hexavalent chromium levels in drinking water should be kept at 0.2 parts per billion for safety reasons.
The hexavalent 6 issue continues to be of great concern, even two decades after the high-profile Erin Brockovich film. In California — where the movie was set, and where chromium levels have been particularly worrisome — some water systems voluntarily treat for hexavalent chromium, even though they’re not legally required to. While this is a great step, it’s not as helpful as if there were a federally mandated standard.
Radium: Naturally Occurring Radioactive Element May Leach Into Groundwater
Unlike for PFAS and chromium 6, the EPA has established legal limits for radium levels in water. Radium can be a large problem for private well water systems, particularly in the northern part of Illinois, based on local geology and bedrock composition. And residents may not even suspect it’s there, since you can’t see it, smell it or taste it.
Like any other form of radiation, ingesting it creates a health risk. When you drink radium — say, from tap water that has the chemical in it — a small amount is absorbed during digestion. The alpha particles emitted by radium can damage your bodily tissues, potentially suppressing your immune response, or causing anemia, cataracts and dental damage. Longer, more substantial exposure can cause cancer of the bone, liver and breast.
Thankfully, in addition to the federally allowable limits, there are also ways both to test the radium levels in your water and to remove it. The most effective methods are ion exchange, lime softening and reverse osmosis (RO) treatments — these methods can eliminate up to 90 percent of radium in your drinking water, along with removing water hardness. One thing to be aware of is that ion exchange treatments may add sodium to your treated water; this should be considered if you’re watching your salt intake levels. As an alternative, RO doesn’t impact sodium levels.
There are nearly 4,700 chemicals that make up the PFAS family. However, the two most common are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
PFAS have been linked to many different health risks, including:
- High cholesterol
- Testicular cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Ulcerative colitis
- Thyroid problems
- Developmental problems
- Weakened childhood immunity
- Low birth rate
- Endocrine disruption
- Weight gain in children
Since the early 2000s, companies have begun phasing out PFAS chemicals. However, a few companies have tried to re-introduce similar chemicals.
The EPA released an action plan in February 2020 detailing how they intend to fight PFAS pollution. This plan included new tests for detecting PFAS in drinking water. It also examines chemicals with four to twelve chain links.
PFOA and PFOS are considered “long-chain chemicals” because they have eight links in their chemical makeup. Some companies have tried to introduce “short-chain chemicals” that reduced it to six.
However, there is still a problem because the chemicals continue to last a long time. Furthermore, PFAS removal from water won’t take an immediate effect.
‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Regulated as a Class: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/forever-chemicals-must-be-regulated-class
EPA creates new PFAS council, narrows exemption for new PFAS: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/epa-creates-new-pfas-council-narrows-exemption-new-pfas
Medical monitoring bill will provide justice for victims of ‘forever chemicals’: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/medical-monitoring-bill-will-provide-justice-victims-forever-chemicals
Alkaline Water: https://angelwater.com/blog/alkaline-water-fact-or-fiction/
What Do I Need to Know About Reverse Osmosis? – Angel Water: https://angelwater.com/blog/need-to-know-reverse-osmosis/
Whole House Water Systems for Well Water – Angel Water: https://angelwater.com/water-purifying-systems/whole-house-water-systems-for-well-water/
