Toxic Forever Chemicals in Your Water –
Recently the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has confirmed the presence of PFAS in 57 public water systems throughout Arizona. Most public water systems will have to screen for a minimum of 29 kinds of PFAS under EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, but only for systems serving more than 3,300 people. Unfortunately, most of Arizona will be left out of this PFAS screening because 90% of the state’s public water systems are serving fewer than 3,300 people.
According to the ADEQ, 57 water systems throughout Yavapai, Yuma, Gila, Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties have shown PFAS contaminants above EPA levels which were reduced from 70 parts per trillion to 0.004 ppt for PFOA and 0.02 ppt for PFOS.
You can read more about Arizona’s statewide testing here: ADEQ starts statewide testing for “forever chemicals” in water systems (azcentral.com)
The Environmental Working Group, (EWG) reported on new data showing an alarming rate of PFAS contamination in communities throughout Arizona and all states. Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances, known as PFAS, the toxic synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ can be found in many areas of the home, including drinking water. PFAS has been known to have certain health effects ranging from mild to severe: liver problems, risk of asthma, reduced response to vaccines, as well as kidney and testicular cancer. These chemicals have the ability to cross the placenta to unborn children as well as being ingested through breast milk. In fact, most American’s blood, if tested, would have a very high rate of PFAS.
PFAS chemicals are used in manufacturing non-stick cookware, stain fighting cleaners, microwavable popcorn bags, waterproof products, and firefighting solutions, primarily in aqueous film-forming foam. These chemicals originated from companies that used PFAs for industrial purposes, and unfortunately, we are still seeing this chemical almost everywhere. PFAS has contaminated groundwater and drinking water. It has soaked through soil/farmland which has contaminated livestock and made its way into our bloodstream.
Only a handful of states have passed legislation to limit PFAS in drinking water. Others are still in the process of learning the effects and creating measures to keep citizens safe. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now working on new drinking water health advisories for PFAS chemicals to strengthen health protections. Unfortunately, these chemicals, bonded from the carbon and fluorine atoms, are quite strong, one of the strongest bonds in chemistry, and therefore cannot be broken down in nature. The only way to ensure no PFAS are present in your drinking water is by a reverse osmosis filtration system.
Did you know that boiling water will only makes PFAS more concentrated and more dangerous to consume?
Did you know the way to remove PFAS from drinking water is filtering it through a Kinetico® K5 Reverse Osmosis System? That’s right, the Kinetico® K5 Reverse Osmosis System is certified to remove PFAS in household water and is certified by the Water Quality Association (WQA) to NSF/ANSI standard 58 for the removal of PFAS found in household water.
The Kinetico® K5 is the recognized and approved filtration system that will remove this toxic ‘forever chemical’ in your drinking water.
Contact Clearwater Systems today, your local Kinetico® dealer, for your free in-home water analysis. Call 888-WATER-10 (888-928-3710) to find out more.
EWG REPORT WITH INTERACTIVE MAP: https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/
EPA NEWS RELEASE: https://www.epa.gov/pfas
