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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Tom Perkins

PFAS may be contaminating drinking water for up to 27% of Americans – study

A hand holds a glass under a running faucet above a sink
The US Geological Survey found readings up to 37,000 times higher than the EPA’s new drinking water limits. Photograph: d3sign/Getty Images

PFAS may be contaminating drinking water for up to 70% of about 140 million people in the US who draw water from the nation’s aquifers via private or public wells, a new federal government study estimates. The findings show a potential impact on about 95 million people, or 27% of the nation’s population.

The US Geological Survey sampling and modeling of groundwater contamination found readings up to 37,000 times higher than the EPA’s new drinking water limits. In some regions virtually all of those using public systems that draw from groundwater may be drinking contaminated water.

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