A study found rainwater contained levels of the class of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) deemed out of bounds per safety guidelines published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other global organizations.
Ian Cousins, the lead author of the study and professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, concluded, “Based on the latest U.S. guidelines for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water, rainwater everywhere would be judged unsafe to drink.”
Corporations must review their use and disposal of PFAS as new reporting requirements take effect and risk of litigation increases.
To help you gain a better understanding of corporate responsibility around PFAS, we’ll explain how these chemicals enter the drinking water supply, what is involved in testing for PFAS, and offer insight into what is being done to mitigate existing contamination and prevent further harm to the water supply.
PFAS in the Water Supply
Rainwater feeds many of the world’s municipal and unconfined groundwater supplies. Since PFAS has entered the water cycle, an increasing number of municipalities are now grappling with how to mitigate PFAS in their drinking water.
Private wells and municipal water supplies
In industrialized countries, drinking water is primarily sourced in one of two ways: private wells and municipal water supplies.
Private wells draw water from aquifers beneath the ground. When water is drawn from an unconfined source, that means water and contaminants from the surface can seep into the water supply.
Wells that draw from confined water sources tap into aquifers beyond an impermeable layer of earth where surface water and pollutants cannot reach the water supply.
Municipal water is typically drawn from either groundwater or surface water. Because municipalities have infrastructure for decontaminating drinking water, they can make use of surface water, despite the increased risk of contamination from direct pollution and surface runoff.
Want more news and insights like this?
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, The New Leaf. Our goal is to keep you updated, educated, and even a bit entertained as it relates to all things EHS and sustainability.
