If you were looking for another reason to be concerned about the presence of toxic chemicals in our water, let me introduce you to PFAS and PFOA. These compounds not only sit in drinking water supplies across the United States but they have also been found in the blood levels of more than 61 million people! With scientific findings like these, it may seem like there is no way to avoid exposure to these hazardous contaminants. But could a new solution be on the horizon? Read on to find out how this potential revolution in cancer treatment might come together!
PFAS is a chemical that has been found in water supplies all around the country. In October of last year, news broke out that PFOS levels in drinking water are at a high enough concentration to potentially cause cancer, with sources saying that the chemicals appear in all but 100 American water systems. This caught many off guards and changed people’s thoughts on how much these chemicals can affect their health. For example, it was recently discovered that PFAS was linked to lung cancer as well.
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Water Contamination and PFAS Chemicals
Local government officials are increasingly worried about PFAS contamination in water. It is now a class-action lawsuit on behalf of residents because the disease has cost hundreds of millions of dollars in medical bills and lawsuits. Approximately 92% of summer residents in these towns show high cases of PFAS exposure due to their proximity to residential wells that were contaminated and stored chemicals at Chemours (formerly DuPont). The purity of the well water for these summers has been far below acceptable levels for drinking. Studying the connection between PFAS contamination and kidney malfunctions, cancer rates, liver inflammation, pregnancy problems, and cognitive impairments is necessary before the public will begin to re-examine their exposure to these contaminants.
How Did PFAS Get into Drinking Water?
PFAS is an abbreviation for pollutants referred to as PFCs or perfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are a class of chemicals used in everything from firefighting foams to food packaging, stain repellents, and Teflon pans. It’s been described as the most harmful chemical ever discovered. They can leak into water systems, easily contaminating nearby drinking water sources. As of recently, PFAS has been found in food products including meat, potato chips, fish sticks, macaroni and cheese, and more. The contamination doesn’t end there because it also affects humans’ thyroid hormones, which can in turn cause birth defects during pregnancy and developmental delays in children.
How can PFAS be eliminated from drinking water?
Today, PFAS chemicals are recognized as a group of hazardous chemicals that are used in industrial fluids and products such as non-stick cookware. These chemical compounds can be found all around us and have been linked to certain diseases, but many of these manufacturing companies have not done anything to reduce their PFAS traces in the environment.
PFAS are found in fire fighting agents, metal manufacturing processes, and more. They were added to the list of dangerous chemicals when research by the National Toxicology Program linked two PFAS chemicals to causing both cancers in laboratory animals and cancers in humans, who are occupationally exposed to these chemicals.
Call For Safer Drinking Water, Lawsuits Filed
PFAS is a man-made industrial chemical that causes the flavoring in many products, like bottled water, soft drinks, and cat food. More than 90 percent of PFASs have been found in the blood of Americans, which has been shown to lead to a plethora of health problems.
These days, the water that people across the country are putting in their bodies is “toxic.” Although this is a scary fact these days, humans haven’t worked together enough to battle these contaminants. Now that lawmakers have fought to create legislation, they’re working with communities to use safer drinking water options.
Summary
PFAS chemicals have been poisoning groundwater levels since they were first used in the manufacturing of Scotch Guard. Research is still new, but it is already irrefutably clear that these PFAS products are causing a dramatic and dangerous increase in cancer cases. Not only is there evidence of increased rates of cancer, but PFAS chemicals are also known to affect normal body processes like hormonal systems, which increases the risks for other diseases.