Water: a substance every person needs to survive. The human body can only go three days without water. When you drink water, do you ever think of what the water contains, even if it is well-filtered? Recent studies show water is not filtered properly across the United States.  Extremely hazardous compounds, known as PFAS, contaminate drinking water nationwide. The compound acts like lead poisoning does and builds up over time within the human body. Over days, weeks, months, and years the PFAS accumulates. Long-term exposure to the contamination is linked to a variety of illnesses such as liver damage, heart disease, and cancer. In extreme cases, it damages the childhood development process. 

But what is PFAS? PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of about fifteen thousand man-made chemicals which, since the 1940s, have been used to both stain-proof and waterproof a diversity of different goods such as nonstick cookware and products that resist grease, water, and oil. The compounds all possess strong molecular bonds that don’t break down for centuries, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” 

On April 10, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever national drinking water standard. The standard aims to limit the amount of these chemicals lacing water around the United States. The ruling released by the EPA targets certain PFAS in drinking water. Due to this new standard, over the next five years, governments throughout the United States will locally be required to test their systems for six specific PFAS compounds as well as install water treatment technologies if it is found that the levels of compacts within their systems are too high. The EPA expects that PFAS levels will be found in six to ten percent of all US water systems, spreading across 100 million Americans. By implementing new PFAS standards, the EPA plans to prevent thousands of possible deaths and serious illnesses over the next several decades. 

This is important because there are about one hundred million United States citizens throughout the country who are affected by horrific water conditions. These estimated one hundred million people are exposed to a higher risk of health risks including cancer, liver damage, as well as heart disease because of simply drinking their water. Exposure to the compounds builds up in the human body, similar to lead poisoning. There are many consequences but there is a solution present. Make sure to be aware of what is going into your body, but also be sure to stay hydrated as summer and higher temperatures come upon us!

Lia Day, Staff Writer

 Junior Lia Day is a staff writer for the 2023-2024 Colonel Newsmagazine. She likes to play with her dog and cat, read, play soccer and tennis, and play games.