Login
Are PFAS in Your Tap Water? How to Test Your Home and Get Rid of Hidden Forever Chemicals
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported:
Most Americans now know PFAS exist, but few know how to actually check their own water — or where else in the house exposure might be coming from. With federal protections in flux and the EWG estimating more than 200 million Americans could have PFAS in their drinking water above 1 part per trillion, the responsibility has largely shifted to consumers to figure this out themselves.
How Do You Check Your Tap Water for PFAS Right Now for Free? Start with the EWG Tap Water Database — a free tool that lets you enter your ZIP code and see what contaminants your utility has reported, measured against both federal limits and stricter health-based guidelines. One important caveat: the database reflects testing at treatment plants, not necessarily what’s coming out of your specific tap.
You can also request your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report, which is required by law and typically available online. If your report shows PFAS as “not detected,” that may mean your system hasn’t been tested yet, not that PFAS aren’t present. The federal UCMR 5 testing program ran through 2025 and not every system has reported results.
PFAS Monitoring Finds Forever Chemicals in Every Rain and Snow Sample Across the Great Lakes
Innovation News Network reported:
Researchers with Minnesota Sea Grant say new findings from a two-year study show PFAS contamination is consistently entering the Great Lakes region through rain and snow. The project, funded by the United States Geological Survey, monitored precipitation at five locations across Minnesota and Michigan and detected PFAS in every sample collected.
The research will be presented in June at the National Atmospheric Deposition Program Scientific Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin. Scientists involved in the project say the results strengthen evidence that airborne PFAS pollution is widespread and may travel long distances before settling into watersheds, lakes and surrounding ecosystems.
The findings also raise concerns about the limits of current PFAS monitoring methods. Researchers discovered that routine testing captures only a small fraction of fluorinated chemicals present in precipitation, suggesting environmental contamination may be more extensive than previously understood.
Two Chemicals in Everyday California Air May Pose ‘Unacceptable’ Cancer Risk, Findings Suggest
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Two toxic contaminants present in California’s ambient air appear to be much stronger carcinogens than previously known, state environmental health officials announced Thursday. The draft finding from the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment says that acrolein and ethylene oxide may pose an estimated cancer risk more than 10 times higher than benzene, a serious carcinogen linked to leukemia and other cancers.
It is the first step in a review process before final risk values are adopted, and it arrives at a time federal air-quality regulations are being reined in. “If the early air monitoring results bear out, and if the draft cancer values developed are close to what eventually becomes final, then each air contaminant poses an unacceptable cancer risk,” said Kris Thayer, OEHHA’s director.
The update reflects the state’s evolving understanding of its most dangerous pollutants, which has shifted over the decades from visible pollutants, such as smog, to more invisible ones that cause cancer, heart disease and other health harms. It comes only two months after the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency moved to roll back standards on ethylene oxide, or EtO, in an effort to save millions of dollars in compliance costs for facilities that use the chemical for medical sterilization. The administration said it acted to “safeguard the supply of essential medical equipment,” but experts said the move will also expose more people to health risks.
Michigan Health Department Releases Findings About Project on Contaminants in Firefighters’ Blood
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released findings from a project to determine concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in blood of Michigan firefighters. The project launched in 2021 and collected data from April 2021 through September 2023. The PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project is a statewide initiative.
A survey measures the amount of PFAS in blood samples and collects information about possible exposures. Firefighters have higher risk than the general public of being exposed to PFAS due to firefighting foam, PFAS-treated protective clothing, and contaminated equipment and station dust. Firefighters also experience the same exposures to PFAS as the general public through drinking water and contaminated food with PFAS.
“The findings of this report provide valuable insights into PFAS exposure among Michigan firefighters and will help us better understand firefighters’ exposure to PFAS.”Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, said chief medical executive.
Maine Went All-in on the State’s PFAS Problem 5 Years Ago. What Can Wisconsin Learn?
Wisconsin Public Radio reported:
After years of back-and-forth over how to spend funding to address PFAS contamination, the state recently released $133 million to help communities in Wisconsin deal with widespread pollution of these “forever chemicals.” The funding will help with PFAS testing and remediation efforts around the state, including money for new wells and a provision to protect “innocent landowners” who have pollution on their property through no fault of their own.
The state of Maine has been down this path. In 2021, lawmakers there passed a suite of legislation aimed at fixing the state’s own PFAS crisis — spurred in part by wastewater sludge spread on farm fields — and invested more than $200 million into the effort. Where does Maine’s PFAS problem stand now, five years later? That’s the topic of “Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals,” a new book from environmental journalist Marina Schauffler.
“One of the challenges of PFAS is it is so persistent, and it’s a long recovery,” Schauffler told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “And it’s not a full recovery, because these chemicals so permeate our environment, and the health threat is going to linger through generations.”
Schauffler spoke with “Wisconsin Today” about Maine’s PFAS story and lessons for Wisconsin as the state enacts policies and allocates funds toward PFAS cleanup.
Perdue Points to Firefighting Tech Companies for Salisbury, MD, PFAS Contamination
A new set of court filings in the ongoing Salisbury PFAS contamination lawsuit against Perdue Farms is shedding further light on where the company says the pollution may have originated and who it believes should ultimately bear responsibility. In filings submitted Friday, May 8 in U.S. District Court in Maryland and obtained by WBOC, Perdue asked a federal judge to allow third party complaints against 3M and several entities tied to Johnson Controls, companies that have specialized in firefighting technology for years.
Perdue argues the firefighting foam used at its Salisbury soybean processing AgriBusiness facility, manufactured by 3M and dispensed through Johnson Controls’ systems, contributed to the PFAS contamination. The suit stems from claims brought by Salisbury neighbors who allege PFAS contamination from Perdue’s Zion Church Road facility impacted nearby groundwater and private wells.
PFAS, otherwise known as forever chemicals, have been linked to cancer and other serious health risks. WBOC has previously reported on testing ordered by the Maryland Department of the Environment along with Perdue’s efforts to provide bottled water to potentially impacted residents, conduct well testing, and install treatment systems for nearby homeowners.
Bill Sought to Reckon With Sludge Use on New Hampshire Farms. Here’s How It Has Evolved so Far.
New Hampshire Bulletin reported:
Earlier this year, a proposal from the New Hampshire House sought to pause the practice of applying PFAS-containing sewage sludge to farmland in New Hampshire. But over the course of multiple packed hearings and after a handful of amendments, the bill’s provisions have changed shape, sparking concern among some early supporters.
The latest twist in the bill’s journey was a “replace-all” amendment adopted in the Senate May 7 that removed all references to sludge. Lawmakers and staff said that was a procedural error; some said they expected much of the bill to be reinstated later this week, when the Senate takes up the bill once more on Thursday. Some stakeholders are not so sure that’s good news.
Allison Jumper, of Durham, said the bill had morphed from its original form into something completely different — harmful rather than protective. The version of the bill that existed just before the error lawmakers will aim to fix this week “not only fails to solve the PFAS problem — it entrenches it,” she said in a statement.
Lead Paint Flakes Lead to $2.2 Million Settlement in Maryland
An incident that caused lead paint chips to rain down from a 1,000-foot broadcast tower onto homes, parks and daycare facilities in Baltimore has led to a $2.2 million settlement against a paint-removal contractor and the company that hired it. The agreement stems from a civil lawsuit filed by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office, alleging that Television Tower Inc. (TTI) knew its tower contained lead-based paint before the repainting project began.
From May 28 to June 21, 2022, Skyline Tower Painting performed scraping and power washing along the exterior of the tower, officials say. Because no controls were in place to contain the paint chips, they fell onto the surrounding neighborhoods as far as a half-mile away.
TTI is owned by a trio of Baltimore-area TV stations: WBAL, WJZ and WMAR. The tower is situated in an area informally known as TV Hill, surrounded by a community with an environmental justice score of 88 out of 100. The score indicates a high existing pollution burden and population vulnerability, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment’s environmental justice mapping tool.
