Microplastics and PFAS Oh My 😱
PFAS are so prevalent that they have polluted drinking water systems in all 50 states. Thankfully, despite industries’ best efforts to avoid regulation, we are finally seeing progress made to protect Americans from these dangerous forever chemicals.
July 31, 2024
Kelly Shannon McNeill, Associate Director at LA Waterkeeper
Image Credit: Andrii Zastrozhnov
Growing up in a household where bottled water was a staple, it took more than a decade of soapboxing before my family finally transitioned to a more sustainable alternative. I was already concerned about the environmental and health impacts of daily water intake from plastic bottles, but fast forward to 2024 and I couldn’t have imagined how pervasive and prevalent our exposure to microplastics, PFAS, and other emerging contaminants would become.
We’re only just now starting to reckon with the human and environmental health impacts of these forever chemicals. What’s worse, they are almost impossible to avoid. Every day we are exposed to a wide range of these chemicals through consumer products like food and drinkware packaging, nonstick cookware, and clothing. In fact, PFAS are so prevalent that they have polluted drinking water systems in all 50 states. Thankfully, despite industries’ best efforts to avoid regulation, we are finally seeing progress made to protect Americans from these dangerous forever chemicals.
What Are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals”, are a category of chemicals that have been widely used in manufacturing and consumer products since at least the 1940s. They repel oil and water and resist heat, which make them useful in a wide variety of products. Today, they are found in everything from food packaging and non-stick cookware, to cosmetics, clothing, dental floss, and even Band-Aids; the list goes on. What makes our frequent exposure to PFAS so worrying is how they persist in the environment and our bodies.
Image Credit: EPA
PFAS are also called “forever” chemicals because they are bio-persistent, meaning they remain in organisms indefinitely without breaking down, and because they are bio-accumulative, meaning that over time, they build up in ever increasing amounts in people, wildlife, aquatic life, and the general environment. PFAS are linked to increased incidence of cancer, liver and kidney disease, reproductive issues, immunodeficiencies, and hormonal disruptions.
Though experts estimate that more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS through drinking water, the EPA and other regulators are just now looking at ways to address this serious health hazards prevalence within our nation's waters. To address this troubling lack of information about the presence of PFAS in US surface waters, 113 Waterkeeper groups across the United States took on an unprecedented initiative to test US surface waters for PFAS contamination. In 2022, 83% of the samples showed detection of at least one PFAS compound, and in LA Waterkeeper’s tests in the LA River over the last 2 years, all but one site tested positive for between 7 and 15 types of PFAS.
Image Credit: Daniel Chetroni
How Does PFAS Get In Our Water?
You may be asking how we got ourselves into this mess. While we are exposed to PFAS daily through the products we use, and forever chemicals certainly enter the water system this way, the real villain is industry. The contamination comes from several sources. These include the industrial (and still mostly legal) dumping of PFAS directly into rivers, lakes, and streams. PFAS can also seep into groundwater from waste in our landfills. Additionally, burning PFAS-containing products and waste in incinerators releases PFAS into the air through industry smokestacks. This often falls back to the earth in rain, depositing PFAS in our water and soil. According to the NRDC, this pollution is often most significant in already overburdened environmental justice communities
Here in Los Angeles, we are not immune to these forever chemicals. Several water systems in LA County have tested far above new drinking water limits set by the EPA. (Check out the Environmental Working Group or USA Today’s PFAS contamination map to see how the water in your area fares.) And there are concerns about PFAS leaching into our groundwater, a valuable source of water for our region. Thankfully, the US EPA is finally taking steps to address PFAS in drinking water, and the State of California has also passed some efforts to regulate the forever chemicals. Though national and regional efforts to more broadly regulate PFAS have been stifled either by industry lobbying or appeals courts.
Image Credit: by sonmez
What’s Up with PFAS Regulation?
The most notable effort to address PFAS contamination came earlier this year when the US EPA finalized the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful forever chemicals. Not only did the EPA set limits for 6 types of PFAS, but they also required public water systems to monitor and implement solutions to reduce PFAS levels and are investing $1 billion to support that effort nationally. The State of California has also taken steps to regulate and even ban PFAS in certain products, like cosmetics, tampons, textiles, and children's products - with mixed results.
Some of these efforts have passed successfully like AB-1200 which seeks to regulate PFAS in food packaging and AB-652 which prohibits the sale of children's products intentionally containing forever chemicals. But other efforts to limit our product exposure to PFAS have been vetoed by Governor Newsom.
Here in Los Angeles, the LA City Council also recently took steps to ensure safe drinking water after two sources in the San Fernando Valley tested positive for PFAS above EPA limits.
Image Credit: BrianAJackson
While LA Waterkeeper wholeheartedly supports more fulsome efforts to regulate and ultimately eliminate the use of PFAS chemicals, history shows that as soon as we start to regulate or ban a hazardous substance – hello DDT - industry adapts and not in a good way. Instead, they just make minor modifications or develop a whole new class of chemicals that have the same or even worsening effects. Ultimately, what is needed is sweeping legislation to enact “Green Chemistry,” a philosophy that seeks to prevent the generation of pollution and resulting human and environmental health impacts, created by the chemical industry. This would be a significant undertaking – but it’s an area where California could once again pave the nation’s way towards a greener future.
What You Can Do
While we wait for this green revolution, you might be asking yourself what you can do to limit exposure to PFAS and help secure a clean water future for your family. On the individual level, there are several steps we can each take to limit our daily exposure to PFAS, including:
Filter your drinking water. While reverse osmosis (RO) does create more water waste than other filtration methods, it’s been proven to be a highly effective way to remove PFAS. Don’t have the space or budget for an under-sink RO, don’t worry the Environmental Working Group found a number of other affordable and space-saving options that can also reduce your exposure to PFAS.
Choose “naked products,” whole foods that don’t come with any man-made packaging. Or when you must purchase products in a container, choose glass! Not only will you reduce your exposure to forever chemicals, but you’ll also create less waste!
If your budget allows, swap your non-stick cookware with a safer alternative. Go stainless, cast iron, or ceramic-coated. But do your research, because some products that market themselves as “safer” alternatives don’t stand up to independent testing.
Do your research and choose home and personal care products made from more natural materials that aren’t treated with PFAS. Avoid products marketed as stain and water resistant, and whenever possible, nix the plastic altogether.
Ultimately, it should NOT be on the consumer to protect themselves from the serious health impacts related to PFAS exposure. We must hold polluters accountable, and work with our elected officials, locally, regionally, and nationally to continue advancing laws and regulations that put the protection of human health and the environment above the profit incentives of industry.
Get Involved
Support LA Waterkeeper’s efforts to monitor and advance PFAS regulations by making a donation today or signing up for our River Assessment Field Team (RAFT) program to help monitor PFAS in the LA River. And most importantly, stay tuned for opportunities to make your voice heard as Los Angeles and California take steps to eliminate PFAS from consumer products, and mitigate their impacts on our waterways.