Fluorochemicals In Water: What Are The Health Risks?

More cities are discovering fluorochemicals in their groundwater. Read on to determine what’s in it for you and how it can put your health at risk.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 60 million people across the country have their water supply contaminated by fluorochemicals such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

This is because 65 water utilities across 24 states and territories had at least one sample that came back above the agency’s safety threshold of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for these chemicals.

What are fluorochemicals?

A fluorochemical is any of various compounds that contain fluorine. Fluorinated chemicals are added to many consumer products to make them waterproof, greaseproof, stain-resistant, and non-stick. Fluorochemical-treated products include antifreeze, outdoor jackets, non-stick pans, firefighting foams, food packaging, footwear, and upholstery.

Back in the olden days, natural oils and waxes are the ones used to offer some degree of water repellency to different products. But, using such natural sources had lots of drawbacks. And so, more sophisticated synthetic chemicals have been introduced.

What are the health risks?

Although different consumer products exhibited high levels of repellency, the use of synthetic fluorochemicals is placing everyone’s health at risk. Because synthetic fluorochemicals aren’t biodegradable, they don’t break down in the environment easily. Instead, they accumulate in the environment and build up in our air, soil, and water sources.

According to different studies done in the 90’s and early 2000’s, the accumulation of synthetic fluorochemicals in the environment found its way to the water supply and into the bloodstreams of both humans and animals, thus, putting our health at risk.

Included in the different diseases and health risks caused by exposure to high concentrations of fluorochemicals, specifically PFOS and PFOA, are kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid and colon problems, high cholesterol, and for expectant mothers, elevated blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), says that since these synthetic fluorochemicals don’t easily degrade in the environment, more health problems in both humans and animals may be added.

“We don’t know a lot about the health effects of others,” Birnbaum adds. This refers to the thousands of other fluorochemicals beyond PFOS and PFOA.

Fluorochemicals around us

According to researchers, there are at least 3, 000 varieties of fluorochemicals in the environment.

The largest and leading known source of fluorochemical contamination is around firefighting and training sites where aqueous film-forming foam is used in dangerous aircrafts, shipboards, and oilfield fires. Next come landfills and wastewater treatment facilities. Click here for an interactive map showing the civilian and military water utilities contaminated with either PFOA or PFOS.

Although the EPA and different organizations and agencies are doing what they can to take action in the ensuing public outcry regarding fluorochemicals in water sources, it may not be enough. It’s also our responsibility to have our water tested and treated for our household’s safety.

Secure your and your family’s health. Have your home water supply checked and tested ASAP. Click here for your free water consultation. You may also contact 1-800-444-3563 for more info.