Focusing water treatment efforts on the destruction of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): the United States perspective

Excerpt

A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group estimates that drinking water of more than 200 million Americans could be contaminated by poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (Andrews and Naidenko 2020). Known as the Forever Chemicals, PFAS are a large family of over 12,000 highly persistent and toxic chemicals that don’t occur in nature. The widespread use of PFAS in military, aerospace, automotive, construction and electronic industries, combined with their complicated environmental release, mobility, fate and transport has resulted in multiple exposure routes for humans. Drinking water is typically considered the major source of exposure to these forever chemicals; however, elevated PFAS levels have also been detected in fish and milk, as well as personal care and consumer products including medicine, cell phones, cookware, light bulbs, carpets, and other goods. PFAS are likely found in the blood of virtually every person on the planet, including newborn babies and animals. The pervasive existence of these compounds in virtually every material tested to date has thus resulted in their also being labeled Everywhere Chemicals. The presence of PFAS in the human body is likely not innocuous. Low concentrations of PFAS in drinking water have been linked to the suppression of the immune system and different types of cancer, thyroid disease, and reproductive and developmental impairments. PFAS can even weaken the effectiveness of vaccines, including those against COVID-19. Although over the last few decades chemical manufacturers have largely stopped producing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)—the two most widely used PFAS—the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that a “limited number of ongoing uses'' still exist. Despite reduced manufacture, these chemicals continue to pollute the environment and will most likely be detected in every new environmental sample, regardless of its location. …