PFAS (Forever Chemicals) in Drinking Water

Data source: U.S. EPA, CDC

What Are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of more than 12,000 synthetic chemicals that have been manufactured and used in consumer products since the 1940s. They are called "forever chemicals" because the strong carbon-fluorine bond resists biological and environmental breakdown — PFAS accumulate in the body and persist in soil and water for decades.

Health Effects

Research links PFAS exposure to a range of serious health outcomes. The following effects are recognized by the EPA and CDC:

• Cancer — kidney cancer and testicular cancer show the strongest associations
• Thyroid disease — interference with thyroid hormone regulation
• Immune suppression — reduced vaccine response, especially in children
• Developmental effects — low birth weight, altered growth, accelerated puberty
• High cholesterol — elevated LDL cholesterol levels
• Liver damage — elevated liver enzymes

PFAS bioaccumulate over time. Even low-level chronic exposure can lead to significant body burden.

How PFAS Get Into Water

The most common pathways to drinking water contamination include:

• Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used at military bases and airports — the single largest source of groundwater contamination in the U.S.
• Industrial discharge from facilities that manufactured or used PFAS (e.g., textile mills, chrome plating, semiconductor plants)
• Food packaging — PFAS-coated grease-resistant packaging can leach into food and then into wastewater
• Landfill leachate — PFAS-containing products breaking down and migrating into groundwater

Approximately 200 million Americans drink water from systems with detectable PFAS.

EPA Standards

In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first-ever National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS. Key limits:

Public water systems have until 2029 to comply. The rule is the most significant expansion of the Safe Drinking Water Act in decades.

How to Remove PFAS From Drinking Water

Not all filters remove PFAS. The following have demonstrated effectiveness:

• Reverse osmosis (RO) — removes 90–99% of PFOA/PFOS; certified under NSF 58
• Granular activated carbon (GAC) — effective at lower contamination levels; NSF 53 certified filters
• Ion exchange resin — high-capacity PFAS removal, used in both point-of-entry and point-of-use systems

Pitcher-style carbon filters (e.g., standard Brita) are generally not effective for PFAS removal. Look for NSF 58 or NSF 53 certification specifically for PFAS reduction.

PFAS in U.S. Water Systems: What the Data Shows

ZipCheckup aggregates CCR (Consumer Confidence Report) data, EPA ECHO monitoring results, and SDWIS enforcement records to track PFAS across the country:

• 9,823 ZIP codes have PFAS monitoring data from EPA ECHO, with a combined 206,694 individual detections recorded
• 5,018 ZIP codes show at least one PFAS compound exceeding the new 2024 MCL
• 1,109 EPA enforcement actions related to PFOA and PFOS have been recorded across 249 ZIP codes
• CCR reports from 8 water systems serving 531 ZIP codes list PFAS compounds among detected contaminants

These numbers reflect only regulated community water systems — private wells are not monitored and may have higher contamination in areas near known PFAS sources.

Is PFAS a Problem in Your Area?

PFAS contamination is concentrated near military installations (DoD sites), airports, industrial corridors, and regions with legacy chemical manufacturing. However, detections have been found in all 50 states.

ZipCheckup tracks EPA-reported violation data by ZIP code. Check your local report to see if your water system has recorded PFAS-related violations or monitoring data.