What is PFAS in Tap Water? | Expert Insight

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a broad category of compounds developed and used worldwide since the mid-20th century. PFAS chemicals are very resistant to heat, water, oil, and stains.

These traits have made them essential in various fields, including cosmetics, food packaging, firefighting, and aviation. However, these same qualities also make PFAS very difficult to eliminate from the environment. PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down readily when released.

PFAS are manmade chemicals that are made up of chains of carbon atoms that have been fluorinated. The carbon-fluorine link is one of the strongest bonds in chemistry. This bond is what makes PFAS resistant to breaking down through natural processes, such as sunlight, bacteria, or water. Due to this, PFAS can persist in the environment for a long time, even for hundreds of years. They build up in soil, groundwater, wildlife, and the human body over time.

Researchers have long been concerned about the health and environmental effects of PFAS contamination, and this concern has intensified in recent decades. These compounds are now known to cause many health problems, such as malignancies, thyroid diseases, immune system problems, liver damage, and delays in children's development.

Recent research from the European Environment Agency (EEA) indicates that even small amounts of PFAS in food and drinking water can have adverse health effects. Some research suggests that no safe threshold for PFAS exposure may exist.

The distance PFAS pollution has traveled around the world has amazed those studying this specific water contaminant. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that PFAS chemicals have been detected in remote locations, including Arctic sea ice and Himalayan snow. These findings suggest that PFAS can travel long distances through the air and oceans.

These newer compounds are often more challenging to detect and remove from water because their molecules are smaller in size. Research suggests that short-chain PFAS may travel more easily through ecosystems and persist for a similar duration as their predecessors.

PFAS are now present in water supplies worldwide. These "forever chemicals" don't break down with standard water treatment. If you are concerned about what is in your tap water, effective water filtration systems using reverse osmosis technology are designed to remove PFAS, protecting your family from these persistent contaminants. A water filter from Waterdrop Filter utilizes these proven technologies to reduce PFAS exposure.

Not only is this contaminant prevalent, but the presence of PFAS in the environment also incurs significant costs. The Nordic Council of Ministers recently conducted research that found the health consequences of PFAS exposure in Europe alone could be more than €52 billion per year. Future chemical cleanup operations in the U.S. are expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and many polluted communities in developing countries lack the resources even to address PFAS pollution.

Governments worldwide are racing to determine the true extent of the PFAS problem. The World Health Organization has been developing drinking water quality guidelines for PFAS since 2017, releasing draft provisional guidelines in 2022 and establishing the Technical Advisory Group in 2024 to expand its assessment. However, monitoring systems remain inadequate in many developing countries, where the legislation of national standards for PFAS is still ongoing and there is scant information on mitigation strategies.

Meanwhile, research demonstrates that communities of color and low-income populations suffer disproportionately from PFAS contamination, with studies showing that areas serving higher proportions of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents have greater exposure to harmful PFAS levels due to the disproportionate siting of pollution sources near these communities.

These vulnerable populations often bear the greatest burden of PFAS pollution, despite having contributed the least to the problem. This has produced a profound environmental justice crisis that demands urgent regulatory action and equitable remediation efforts.

Despite growing attention and evidence, PFAS are still poorly controlled in many parts of the world. In Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, comprehensive PFAS regulations remain limited, with many countries in these regions yet to adopt regulatory frameworks similar to those in the United States and Europe. However, awareness and initial monitoring efforts are emerging.

The European Union has taken one of the most ambitious approaches, with ECHA evaluating a proposal to restrict around 10,000 PFAS substances submitted by five member countries in 2023, though the proposal remains under review by scientific committees as of 2024. Japan has implemented statutory bans on 138 PFAS substances effective January 2025, while PFAS testing in drinking water remains voluntary. Australia employs a co-regulatory framework through the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan, with regulation of PFAS use, release, and disposal primarily handled at state and territory levels.

These varied approaches demonstrate how different countries and regions are responding to what scientists increasingly recognize as one of the most significant environmental health threats of the 21st century.

To understand how PFAS are widely integrated into global production and daily life, we must investigate their chemical origins and developmental history. An accidental discovery in a laboratory over 100 years ago set the planet on a path that we continue to follow to this day.

In 1938, 27-year-old chemist Roy J. Plunkett was working for DuPont in the United States when he accidentally created a slippery, white powder. Plunkett was trying to develop new refrigerants but ended up with something entirely different, and that powder became Teflon, a PFAS.

Teflon was durable, demonstrated exceptional heat resistance, and exhibited remarkable non-stick properties. After World War II, companies such as DuPont and 3M began incorporating PFAS into a wide range of products. They developed waterproof jackets, stain-resistant carpets, grease-resistant fast food wrappers, and flame-resistant uniforms. Due to consumer demand for these products, PFAS had become ubiquitous by the 1960s, appearing in everything from family homes to military applications.

The most common PFAS included:

• PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) - used to make Teflon
• PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) - found in Scotchgard and firefighting foam
• GenX chemicals - newer versions that replaced PFOA and PFOS

All have caused serious problems. Studies have shown that GenX chemicals, which companies claimed were safer, actually present many of the same health risks. Laboratory studies linked them to liver damage, reproductive problems, and immune system suppression.

For decades, DuPont and 3M suppressed research findings showing PFAS were dangerous. This research provided evidence that these chemicals accumulated in people's blood, caused tumors in laboratory animals, and could pass from pregnant mothers to their babies. Despite these findings, these manufacturers hid the information from the public and government regulators.

The first environmental warnings about PFAS arose in the 1970s. However, most people didn't fully understand the severity of the problem until the early 2000s, when the scandal in Parkersburg, West Virginia, came to light.

DuPont had been dumping PFOA into the environment for years. A scientific panel was formed, and in 2012, it confirmed that PFOA exposure likely caused six diseases: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Similar problems began to show up worldwide. In Antwerp, Belgium, authorities found PFOS levels that were hundreds of times higher than "safe" in both soil and people's blood. In Germany, PFAS have been detected in rivers, groundwater, and drinking water across multiple states. South Korea has found high levels of PFAS in water sources and food packaging, prompting the government to initiate monitoring programs.

The same qualities that made PFAS worthwhile are precisely what make them so dangerous now. These toxic chemicals never disappear, can withstand heat, and remain chemically stable.

PFAS can be found in:

• Non-stick pans
• Waterproof clothing and carpets
• Firefighting foam (especially at airports and on military bases
• Food containers and wrappers
• Cleaning products
• Makeup and personal care items
• Manufacturing processes

These chemicals enter the environment during the manufacturing, use, and disposal of products. Once PFAS enter soil or water, they travel through groundwater, flow into rivers, or float in the air before returning to the ground in rain. Because these toxic materials never break down, they accumulate in fish, farm animals, and human beings.

Stockholm University researchers found something alarming: PFAS pollution is now so widespread that rainwater isn't safe to drink anywhere on Earth based on current health standards. Even remote locations like Antarctica and Tibet have measurable PFAS in their precipitation.

Even after public pressure and lawsuits forced companies to phase out PFOA and PFOS starting in the early 2000s, PFAS continued to be manufactured. Companies switched to "short-chain" PFAS and other alternatives, such as GenX, but it remains unclear whether these alternatives are safer.

References

1. Environmental Working Group (EWG) – PFAS in U.S. Tap Water

2. European Environment Agency (EEA) – PFAS health risks in Europe

3. Stockholm University – PFAS in global rainwater

4. CSIRO Australia – GenX Toxicity Overview

5. Earth.com – Chemicals in home tap water linked to a 33% increase in cancer rates

6. Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) – PFAS environmental transport

7. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) – Global PFAS contamination

8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – PFAS in Human Blood

9. DuPont Heritage / Science History Institute – Roy Plunkett & Teflon

10. Antwerp PFOS Contamination Case – VRT News (Belgium)