There is no way one can ever overstate the importance of taking in water regardless of how obvious the statement may be. Water is such an important commodity to an extent that it is a basic need to almost all our body parts including very essential ones like our internal body organs, our skin just to mention but a few. However, with seemingly good and safe water sating our thirst levels, there is one just danger that is looming and has not yet been thought of so much by people- PFAS.
What are PFAS?
Man-made chemicals known as perfluoroacetic, and polyfluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS) have found their way to the market since 1940s. That is why PFAS, it can be used to make non-stick cookware, water-proof, and clothing, and fire-regulating foams, are treasured because they are resistant to heat, water, grease, and oil. Unfortunately, having the same, they are not broken down in the environment thus the tendency to call them the forever chemicals.
Mate, McLachlan and Wyant (2009) The Perils of Persistent Chemicals
These artificial compounds could even persist indefinitely in the water, and they pose a hazard to human life once the PFAS get into the water. Various studies have linked the toxicity of the PFAS to lead to various health issues like liver toxicity, thyroid, decreased fertility and even cancer. The consequences also grow over the years, as the PFAS accumulates in the human body after repeated exposures.
What is the Increasing Prevalence of PFAS?
Although the problem with PFAS is not a chain of individual cases, the history of the water crisis in America has only started. Present studies indicate that PFAS is found in the household drinking water of a good number of families in America in every single state. There have been alarming presence of PFAS in drinking water in several states, more so in ppt; the EPA got advisory levels to the point of incredibility. But to those people who want to know more about a given discovery there are extensive materials that lay out the effects of PFAS on water which can in its turn explain the health effects of the chemicals and how to avoid exposure.
PFAS Contaminations Sources
It is vital to read more about the way PFAS end in our water supply to reduce the risk. National industrial release, wastewater treatment plants, groundwater contamination by landfills and firefighting foam are major sources of contamination. As soon as these chemicals enter the groundwater, they may also move miles away since their source of pollution, and hence, it is a general problem.
Community Efforts
Local efforts are decisively contributing toward fighting PFAS pollution. Local governments and non-profit organizations are also becoming sorted in the process of testing and remediation in an attempt to attack the contaminated sites. Through collaboration and exchange of resources communities are becoming more resilient against challenges of PFAS contamination.
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Even low levels of chronic exposure to PFAS can impose severe effects on the health of a person. Besides the health hazards that are more immediate, prolonged contact can result in raised cholesterol rates, immune system consequences, hormonal disruptions, and more liver enzyme changes. The exact nature of the effect that PFAS has on health remains unknown, yet available data helps to highlight the significance of this unknown danger.
What is to Be Done?
Although this article is not going to speak about certain specific recommendations and products, it is crucial to mention that both individual and collective awareness and action are crucial. Demanding stricter regulations, being a part of clean-up operations, learning about the water quality reports in your municipality, and so on will help you contribute to limiting the number of PFAS in the environment.
Finding Solutions
In addition, innovative methods are being discovered to remove PFAS in the water sources. There are methods where these pollutants can be filtered out of the drinking water like the use of carbon filtration techniques that are activated or the use of high-pressure membranes. With these developments, possibly more efficient practices of water treatment will be created, which will make PFAS-related occurrence minor in our environment.
Final Thoughts
PFAS is taking the paradigm of clean drinking water to the test. Most likely, we will not be able to escape being affected by these supposedly forever chemicals, and not just in our lifetime but also in the lives of generations to come. The only way to overcome this is to learn the sources of these so-called forever chemicals, the dangers they pose, and how prevalent they are to safeguard our health, as well as the future health of our offspring. The more we go through the trappings of contemporary life, the better we can make decisions informed by the reality on the ground dangers lurking in our water. Armed with this knowledge, we will be better situated for being able to raise our voices in what we might consider to be a struggle to preserve a healthy ecological landscape.
