‘Forever Chemicals’ Likely Found In Water From VA Faucets: Study

VIRGINIA — There’s a chance "forever chemicals" that have been linked to cancer and other health problems will flow along with the water when some Virginia residents turn on their taps, according to a new government study.

The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, according to the study released Wednesday by the U.S. Geological Survey. Based on the data, the researchers estimated that at least one form of PFAS could be found in about 45 percent of tap water samples nationwide.

The researchers described the study as the first nationwide effort to test for PFAS in tap water in both private and regulated public water sources. It builds on previous scientific findings that the chemicals are widespread, showing up in consumer products as diverse as nonstick pans, food packaging and water-resistant clothing and making their way into water supplies.

The researchers focused on 716 locations where forever chemicals were detected from 2016-2021, including 447 that rely on public supplies and 269 using private wells. They were collected in mostly private residents, but also a few schools and businesses. The samples were taken from protected lands such as national parks, residential and rural areas with no identified PFAS sources, and urban centers or waste sites known to generate PFAS.

In Virginia, forever chemicals were found at about nine sites, including ones as "military sites" by the U.S. Geological Survey: Richmond International Airport, NWS Yorktown in Yorktown, Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, and Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.

In all cases, investigators suspect the contamination can be traced back to firefighting foam.

According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Fentress Air Base (Fentress), Oceana Naval Air Station (Virginia Beach), Northwest Annex (Chesapeake), NASA Wallops Island, and DuPont Spruance (Richmond) have found the PFAS chemicals at their sites.

"None of these substances are presently listed as a hazardous substance by EPA, but the agency does report they can lead to adverse human health effects," the department said on its website.

The researchers emphasized they aren’t the only U.S. locations with PFAS. Also, they noted, although most taps were sampled just once, three sampled multiple times over a three-month period had consistent results, lead author Kelly Smalling, a research hydrologist, told The Associated Press.

Scientists tested for 32 PFAS compounds — most of the ones detectable through available methods. Thousands of others are believed to exist but can't be spotted with current technology, Smalling said.

The heaviest exposures were in cities and near potential sources of the compounds, particularly in the Eastern Seaboard; Great Lakes and Great Plains urban centers; and Central and Southern California. Many of the tests, mostly in rural areas, found no PFAS.

As a scientific research agency, the USGS doesn’t make policy recommendations. But the information in the study “can be used to evaluate the risk of exposure and inform decisions about whether or not you want to treat your drinking water, get it tested or get more information from your state,” Smalling told the AP.

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first federal drinking water limits on PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, which remain in the human body for years and don't degrade in the environment. A final decision is expected later this year or in 2024.

But the government hasn’t stopped companies that use the chemicals from dumping them into public wastewater systems, Scott Faber, a senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, told The AP.

“We should be treating this problem where it begins, instead of putting up a stoplight after the accident,” Faber said. “We should be requiring polluters to treat their own wastes.”

States have adopted a patchwork of PFAS-related regulations. In 2023, the Virginia General Assembly passed and Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed HB2189, which establishes requirements for certain industrial users discharging to publicly owned treatment wWorks to test for PFAS chemicals beginning on July 1, 2023.

Since 2021, DEQ has been monitoring PFAS in streams, rivers, and reservoirs across the Commonwealth to understand the prevalence of these substances and to identify potential locations where PFAS concentrations are elevated relative to baseline concentrations.

PFAS sampling has been conducted through four DEQ water quality monitoring programs:

• Probmon: Surface water sites that are part of the Freshwater Probabilistic Monitoring Program. Probmon sites are randomly selected and provide background information on PFAS concentrations in free-flowing, freshwater systems in the Commonwealth.
• Targeted: Surface water sites that selected were for sampling based on input from the DEQ Land Protection and Water programs as well as the Virginia Department of Health.
• USGS Bay Nontidal Network: Surface water sites that are used by US Geological Survey to assess concentrations, loads, and trends of nutrients and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Special Studies: Sampling that is initiated for for special investigations, for supporting permit development, or to scientifically develop or validate new methods and techniques. Sediment and fish tissue samples may be taken at these sites in addition to surface water samples.

View the results of the DEQ's monitoring efforts in the Statewide PFAS Sampling Dashboard.

Reporting by The Associated Press, which receives support for climate and environmental coverage from several private foundations