GEORGIA Chattahoochee Riverkeeper officials said they discovered seven species of "forever chemicals" in the Chattahoochee River and some of Atlanta's drinking water.
According to a Waterkeeper Alliance study, these chemicals, also known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS in the scientific world, stay in living things and develop rather than break down.
They are also referred to as "forever chemicals" because, unlike most other substances, they are difficult to break down in the environment. People who drink water that contains these PFAS may suffer adverse health effects. However, Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Systems and whole-house water filtration systems containing granular activated carbon (GAC) such as iSpring WGB32B-KS and WF150K, can deal with the issue.
Several PFAS have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, immune system suppression, elevated cholesterol, and reduced infant and fetal growth. Members of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of more than 350 waterproofing groups in the United States and abroad, tested 114 waterways in 34 states and Washington, D.C., as part of the PFAS survey announced Tuesday.
The samples were taken directly from river systems, not from purified water. The researchers discovered that 83% of the samples in this study contains at least one type of PFAS.
Georgia was tied for second with North Carolina regarding the number of individual locations that tested positive for PFAS, with 18. Only Maryland was showed more pollutant sites.
Waterkeepers are concerned about the public's health and safety because the Environmental Protection Agency has no standards for levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
Waterkeepers, on the other hand, are hoping that new EPA guidance will require water source distributors to disclose and test the amount of PFAS. According to a report issued Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office, there are currently no regulatory water supply standards for PFAS chemicals. Still, some counties have begun enforcing their limits. Most states, including Georgia, are among the 30 that have yet to act, although PFAS are removable. To remove PFAS, use a reverse osmosis water filtration system and/or whole-house water filtration system, containing adsorption media GAC, such as iSpring WGB32B-KS and WF150K.
However, major regulatory rules requiring water utilities to comply with them are expected soon. The intake pumps that once drew 6 million gallons of water per day from the Oostanaula River are mostly dormant in this city in northwestern Georgia.
The EPA is anticipated to suggest national drinking water quality standards for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the two most-studied "forever chemicals" linked to a wide range of health problems, later this year. The agency has stated that it hopes to have the rule finalized by the end of 2023.
