QC Drinking Water Found To Have “Forever Chemicals” In It
According to KWQC, Industrial chemicals which have been linked to a range of health problems have been found in the drinking water of dozens of U.S. cities, including the Iowa Quad Cities.
A study that was recently released by EWG, a research and advocacy group, found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at more than 40 locations in 31 states, and it was found right here in Iowa.
The names and science behind this is a lot, but what this basically means is some kinds of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are known as “forever chemicals” because it comes from the man-made substances, which are found in consumer products, stuff like food packaging. These products stay around for such a long time that it cause this, which results in the name "Forever Chemicals."
When looking into the harmful affects of these chemicals the most notable are certain cancers, liver damage, and low birth weight. These have been previously linked to some PFAS chemicals according to Reuters
This all may sound very scary, but there are a few other things to note that could be good or bad. Researchers are not sure what specific health effects a person might experience as a result of drinking water that contains a combination of different PFAS, mostly because there is a whooping 5,000 different chemicals in the PFAS family, and according to PBS only a very small amount of them have been studied. Meaning the effects could be less harmful then one thought or more. We won't be cretin until more research is done.