By: Harrison Chang

According to new research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, tap water in areas like Southern and Central California contains PFAS, which is classified as a “forever chemical.”

Forever chemicals are a type of chemical that doesn’t disappear naturally and must be manually removed and recycled. Although Californians are far less likely to suffer similar exposure because they’re a little farther away from large cities, the numbers from the research don’t lie.

During the investigation, experts estimated that at least 45 percent of the nation’s water resources are polluted with PFAS. Researchers also found that cities are more likely to be polluted. Kelly Smalling is a hydrologist who is the lead author of the U.S. Geological Survey. Smalling noticed that city pollution is much more critical than pollution in rural areas. Smalling and her team believe that traffic and public structures are the main causes of this pollution.

Rural areas tend to have less traffic, leading to fewer harmful chemicals and toxic gasses being emitted. Smalling explained, “There’s also more airports, industrial activities, military installations, even wastewater treatment plants that are all known sources.” Exposure to high levels of some PFAS can make humans sick or injured. Individuals can get illnesses such as decreased fertility, increased risk of high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and liver and immune-system damage.

However, humans aren’t the only ones who can get adverse effects. In fact, even animals can get ill from PFAS. If an individual ends up eating an animal that contracted an illness from PFAS, they might get sick and even die due to ingesting harmful illnesses.

To avoid PFAS in water sources, the government has developed technologies and devices that can solve this problem. Some technologies include granular activated carbon, ion exchange resins, and high-pressure membrane systems that could efficiently remove PFAS from their water.