EPA under pressure to regulate PFAS, found in the water of nearly 2,800 cities.
By Devin Dwyer, Stephanie Ebbs and Jacqueline Yoo
August 10, 2021, 5:05 AM ET
• 17 min read
What are PFAS?The man-made chemicals that have been used in firefighting foam and waterproofing products like Teflon and Scotchgard.ABC News
TUCSON, Ariz. — A family of colorless andtasteless man-made chemicals — largely unregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — has become a growing concern for drinking water safety in thousands of American communities, as scientists increasingly see links to liver damage, high cholesterol, weakened immune systems and cancer.
“They basically fulfill the characteristics of a ticking time bomb,” said Dr. Bo Guo, a University of Arizona hydrologist and expert on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are commonly used in hundreds of consumer products and in firefighting foams, a top source of PFAS contamination.
“They’re very dangerous and they’re migrating very slowly,” Guo said of the heat-resistant chemicals.
WATCH: ABC News Live Prime investigates PFAS contamination in drinking water systems nationwide, 7p/9p ET. Streaming on Hulu, ABC News apps and ABCNews.com/live.
Source:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/ticking-time-bomb-pfas-chemicals-drinking-water-alarm/story?id=79300094