Studies Find Widespread Chemical Pollution Across U.S. Waters

Recent reporting and research indicate PFAS contamination is widespread in U.S. water and ecosystems, and its extent may be understated when test results below laboratory reporting limits are counted as zero. A reanalysis of federal drinking-water data found that estimating these low-level results could push additional sampling locations above the comparison threshold near the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS. In the Chesapeake Bay region, PFAS were detected at most tested waterways, with detections at every sampled site in the District of Columbia and Delaware; the report cautioned that incomplete testing means the findings may capture only part of the contamination. At New Mexico’s Holloman Lake, state researchers documented PFAS across water, soil, plants and wildlife, including very high PFOS concentrations in kangaroo rat livers, though a single animal’s result does not by itself establish harm. Kennewick, Washington, has also reported PFOS and PFHxS levels above revised state action limits at one drinking-water source and plans public notices while developing a treatment system; the city says customers need not take action at this time.