ADEM: A look at water samples across Alabama

Almost half of the tap water in the United States is contaminated with chemicals known as "forever chemicals," according to a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey.The number of people drinking contaminated water may be even higher than what the study found, however, because the researchers weren't able to test for all of these per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, chemicals that are considered dangerous to human health.PFAS are a family of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body. PFAS exposure is linked to problems like cancer, obesity, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, decreased fertility, liver damage and hormone suppression, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.In June 2022, based on the latest science, the EPA issued health advisories that said the chemicals are much more hazardous to human health than scientists originally thought and are probably more dangerous even at levels thousands of times lower than previously believed.There are more than 12,000 types of PFAS in total, according to the National Institutes of Health, but only 32 of the compounds can be picked up by lab tests developed by the U.S. Geological Survey.Previously, there was limited information on exactly how much PFAS chemicals are in residential tap water, said the authors of the research, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental International. They added that this study is the most comprehensive to date that includes both private wells and public water sources.The Alabama Department of Environmental Management surveyed water across the state in 2022. For the full report, click here.