PFAS & chemical contamination
PFAS are a genuinely modern problem: a family of chemicals invented in the 20th century, prized for being nearly indestructible, that now turn up in the blood of almost every American and in nearly half the country’s tap water.
The miracle chemical with a catch
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were embraced from the mid-20th century for a remarkable trait: they repel water, oil, and heat and barely break down. DuPont used them to make Teflon; 3M built Scotchgard around them. They spread into nonstick pans, food packaging, firefighting foam, and countless other products.
That same durability is the problem. Because PFAS do not break down, they earned the nickname “forever chemicals,” accumulating in the environment and in human bodies. By the 1970s, DuPont’s own testing had found PFAS building up in the blood of its factory workers.
How far it spread
For decades the contamination went largely unregulated and, court records later showed, unreported. A 2023 U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that at least 45% of the nation’s tap water contains one or more PFAS, a figure considered conservative, because current tests detect only a fraction of the thousands of PFAS compounds.
The legal reckoning has been enormous. In 2023, 3M agreed to pay up to $10.3 billion to help public water systems test for and remove PFAS, and DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva added roughly $1.19 billion, among the largest environmental settlements in U.S. history.
Regulation catches up
In 2024 the EPA set the first-ever national drinking-water limits for PFAS: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, with a health-based goal of zero. It is a starting point, not an ending one; thousands of PFAS compounds remain unregulated, and the science on their health effects is still developing.
Because boiling only concentrates PFAS, treatment happens at the tap or the plant. Activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange are the technologies proven to remove them.
What you can do
- Check your utility’s annual water-quality report for local PFAS results as testing expands under the new rule.
- If PFAS is a concern where you live, use a filter certified to remove it: activated carbon, reverse osmosis, or ion exchange.
- Remember that water is only one exposure route; PFAS also comes from some packaging and consumer products.
Air to water generation
A new countertop appliance makes clean drinking water from the air every day. No pipes, no advisories, no PFAS, no plastic bottles.
Sources
- USGS: Tap-Water Study Detects PFAS Across the U.S. (2023) At least 45% of U.S. tap water contains one or more PFAS.
- U.S. EPA: PFAS drinking-water regulation First national limits: 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS; goal of zero.
- TIME: 3M’s $10.3 Billion PFAS Settlement Scale of the 2023 settlements and PFAS history.