Tap water in urban areas of Southern and Central California appears more likely to be contaminated by PFAS "forever chemicals" than drinking water in many other regions of the nation, although rural Californians are far less likely to suffer similar exposure, according to new research by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The newly released study is the latest to examine the prevalence of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances — a vast group of manufactured chemicals that are drawing increasing scrutiny for their health risks, as well as their widespread prevalence in food, water, soil, air and work environments.
In what is considered to be the nation's first large-scale analysis of PFAS in tap water from private wells and public water supplies, researchers estimated that at least 45% of drinking water across the nation could contain one or more of the chemicals. Study authors also concluded that drinking-water exposures may be more common in Southern and Central California, as well as the Great Plains, Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard regions.
