Water Is Life Blog

What’s the Deal With PFAS?

Jul 12, 2021

 

PFAS is a class of chemicals that is of real current concern. It stands for “perfluoalkyl substances” that are referred to as “forever chemicals” because once they are introduced into the environment, they last a long long time, and once they enter your body they persist for a long long time! What’s more, they are dangerous at extremely low levels.

People are alarmed because all over the country, municipalities and regulators are testing water supplies, and when they find PFAS at dangerous levels they are required to alert the public. In Massachusetts, for example, 22% of towns have been found to exceed the 20 parts per trillion that the state considers unsafe. Residents of communities such as Acton, Wellesley, Wayland, Burlington and Maynard and many more have received notices.

On top of that, regulators in various states are in disagreement over how little PFAS is dangerous. The EPA set its maximum contaminant level (MCL) at 70 parts per trillion (ppt). Massachusetts is 20 ppt. New Jersey 13 ppt. And the NRDC says 1ppt is unsafe.

PFAS has been around for decades in consumer and industrial products because of its water resistant, stain resistant, grease resistant and flame retardant qualities. It can be found in many products such as non-stick cookware, clothing, furniture, fire-fighting foam, even pizza boxes! But only recently have the authorities become aware or concerned about it.

Adverse health effects are too numerous to list, but among that list would be various cancers, high cholesterol, low birth weights, endocrine disorders and lowered immunity to disease. Best to avoid PFAS altogether.

What to do about it? You can reduce or eliminate the PFAS in your water by installing a Multipure “Aquaperform” or “Aqualuxe” model. Both of these have been tested by NSF and perform the job. The Aqualuxe and Aquaperform models are BOTH NSF-certified for PFAS chemicals. So contact me to discuss and ACT to protect yourself and your family.