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April 9, 2024

Unsafe levels of PFAS contaminate global water sources, study finds

By Shannon Kelleher

A large part of the world’s surface waters and groundwater contains toxic PFAS chemicals at levels higher than regulators consider safe for drinking water, according to a new analysis of data from more than 45,000 water samples collected from around the world.

The data points to Australia, China, Europe and North America as hotspots for contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), although the authors suggest this may be skewed due to higher levels of sampling in these regions.

The findings, which were published April 8 in the journal Nature Geoscience, come as regulators in the United States prepare to set the first enforceable drinking water limits for certain types of PFAS. Many US states and other countries have already set regulations for PFAS in drinking water.

“I was surprised to find out the large fraction of source waters that are above drinking water advisory recommendations,” Denis O’Carroll, an engineering professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia and an author of the study, said in a press release.

The number of samples considered unsafe was higher in countries that have stricter PFAS drinking water guidelines and regulations. In Canada, which has one of the strictest recommendations for PFAS in drinking water, 69% of groundwater samples had levels that surpassed that country’s threshold, while only 6% of samples from the European Union failed to meet its criteria.

April 28, 2023

Groups seek emergency action from EPA on nitrate pollution in Minnesota

A coalition of environmental groups is petitioning federal regulators to take emergency action to protect residents of southeastern Minnesota from “imminent and substantial endangerment’ to their health from the contamination of drinking water sources by a pollutant linked to cancers and other health problems.

Nitrate contamination in the region ” is a widespread issue that has stubbornly persisted through decades as state officials continuously fail to effectively address the problem,” the petition states.

The effort echoes pleas from public and environmental health advocates around the country over the harmful impacts of nitrate contamination, which mainly originates in agricultural runoff. Nitrate contamination of drinking water has been linked to “blue baby syndrome,” or methemoglobinemia (a sometimes-fatal condition affecting infants), as well as certain cancers, and thyroid disease, even in studies where contamination was below legal limits.

High levels of nitrate in water can be a result of runoff or leakage from fertilized farm fields, landfills, animal manure, and other sources.

The petition calls on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure safe drinking water for Minnesota residents, calling nitrate pollution a “too-long ignored health crisis.” Among other steps, the groups want the EPA to block the development of new large animal feeding operations, which are considered significant contributors to nitrate pollution because of the large amounts of animal manure generated.

“We need help,” said Jeff Broberg, director of the Minnesota Well Owners Organization whose own well water is contaminated with nitrates. “Our drinking water quality keeps getting worse.”