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Are There Forever Chemicals in Your Water? Here’s the Latest Data.
Drinking water for at least 1 of every 7 Americans — about 49.5 million people — contains unsafe levels of “forever chemicals,” according to new test results the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in November.
Since the EPA last updated these records in August, over 100 additional public drinking water systems have reported yearly averages of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, that exceed new limits the EPA approved in 2024.
USA TODAY’s analysis of the records shows water utilities in Anaheim and San Jose, California, and Brownsville, Texas, have now joined the 944 systems scattered across the country that have recently failed to meet the new EPA standards.
Air Pollution Contributing to Clogged Arteries, Study Suggests
U.S. News & World Report reported:
Air pollution could be contributing to clogged arteries, a new study says. People exposed long-term to common air pollutants have an increased risk of advanced heart disease caused by hardened arteries, researchers reported Thursday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, in Chicago.
Even air pollution levels near or below government standards were associated with early signs of heart disease, researchers found. “Even at low exposure levels, air pollution is associated with more plaque in the coronary arteries,” lead researcher Dr. Felipe Castillo Aravena, a cardiothoracic imaging fellow at the University of Toronto in Canada, said in a news release.
Further, the more air pollution a person had been exposed to during their lifetime, the greater the odds that their arteries were clogged, results show.
Factory Farms in Iowa Generate 110 Billion Pounds of Manure per Year. No One Tracks Where It’s Going.
More than a thousand hogs grow fat in the enclosed shed-like structures on Gene Tinker’s farm in northeast Iowa, while a few hundred cattle pace in open feedlots.
His farm is one of nearly 8,000 concentrated animal feeding operations in Iowa. But the 64-year-old is not an average Iowa pork producer. Less than a decade ago, Tinker was the state’s top administrator managing questions and disputes over livestock operation permitting.
Tinker was the animal feeding operations coordinator at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for 14 years. Before losing his job during department budget cuts in 2017, he advised staff who granted permits to livestock facilities and reviewed plans for handling the manure produced by those facilities.
For years, Tinker said, he had unsuccessfully advocated for the department to update its rules on applying livestock manure as fertilizer. Now, the former coordinator of the state’s livestock regulating body says the DNR’s approach to enforcing regulations and collecting data about livestock waste is inadequate, emphasizing the need for better management to address environmental risks and protect water quality.
The Hidden Health Risks of Bottled Water
Growing mistrust of tap water has helped turn bottled water into a global staple, even in countries where public supplies are among the most rigorously tested. Marketing has positioned bottled water as purer, healthier and more convenient, but the scientific evidence tells a different story. This perception of purity is central to bottled water’s appeal, yet studies show the product often brings its own set of risks for both health and the environment.
A 2025 study suggested that bottled water may not be as safe as many people assume. Tests on water sold in refillable jugs and plastic bottles found high levels of bacterial contamination. The findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that in many places tap water is not only safe but often more tightly regulated and reliably monitored than bottled alternatives.
In most developed countries, tap water is held to stricter legal and testing standards than bottled water. Public supplies are monitored daily for bacteria, heavy metals and pesticides. In the U.K., the Drinking Water Inspectorate publishes results openly. In the U.S., water suppliers must meet the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Across Europe, water quality is governed by the EU Drinking Water Directive.
Bottled water, by contrast, is regulated as a packaged food product. It is tested less frequently and manufacturers are not required to publish detailed quality information.
