The Filthy Truth About Your Tap Water

Following years of concern, the US Environmental Protection Agency moved this week to clean up drinking water, announcing the nation’s first standards for six “forever chemicals” found in tap water. It’s a foreboding and informal name for human-made chemicals that coat nonstick pans, food packaging, and waterproof clothes before ending up in the water you drink. These chemicals, known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are pervasive and found in pretty much everyone—even newborn babies.

If the EPA rule is finalized, public water companies will need to monitor for the chemicals and keep two widely studied ones, PFOA and PFOS, below levels of 4 parts per trillion—around the lowest threshold measurable.

→ Continue reading at Wired - Science

More from author

Related posts

Advertisment

Latest posts

The Tantalizing Mystery of the Solar System’s Hidden Oceans

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.For most of humankind’s existence, Earth was the only known ocean-draped world, seemingly unlike any...

The Role of Scholarships and Grants in Financing Education

Applying for scholarships and grants helps students pay for college. In some situations, these awards allow people to obtain a degree they wouldn't be...

EV, hybrid and gas-powered: Some interesting cars coming in 2024 | CNN Business

CNN  —  Next year will see the introduction of some new, genuinely affordable electric vehicles as well as...