Toxic chemicals detectable in rainwater worldwide
PFAS substances have exceeded guideline levels in every region of the Earth. According to researchers, the planet's tolerance limit has long since been reached.
New research findings show that rainwater in almost every part of the world contains concerning levels of «forever chemicals».
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of chemicals that are man-made and do not occur in nature. They are referred to as «forever chemicals» because they do not break down in the environment.
They have non-stick or dirt-repellent properties and are therefore found in household items such as food packaging, electronics, cosmetics, and cookware.
But now researchers from Stockholm University have found them in rainwater at most locations on Earth – including Antarctica. There is no safe place to escape them.
Rainwater is undrinkable everywhere
Over the past two decades, guideline values for some of these chemicals have dropped dramatically due to new findings about their toxicity.
«Over the past 20 years, guideline values for PFAS in drinking water have fallen in a remarkable way», says Ian Cousins, lead author of the study and professor at the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University, in the journal “Environmental Science & Technology”.
For a long time, scientists assumed that PFAS would eventually end up in the ocean and become so diluted there that they would be rendered harmless. However, scientists recently demonstrated that perfluoroalkyl acids can re-enter the atmosphere via aerosols from sea spray. This suggests that a cycle of these biologically non-degradable substances has become established. The extreme persistence and continuous global cycling of certain PFAS will lead to the aforementioned guideline values continuing to be exceeded.
«Based on the latest US guidelines for PFOA in drinking water, rainwater would be classified as undrinkable everywhere», he says.
«Although we don't often drink rainwater in the industrialized world, many people around the world expect it to be safe to drink, and it feeds many of our drinking water sources.«
What health risks do «forever chemicals» pose?
The health risks of exposure to these substances have been extensively researched. Scientists say they may be linked to fertility disorders, an increased risk of cancer, and developmental delays in children.
Others argue that no causal link between these chemicals and poor health can be established.
Nevertheless, and as a result of this new research, some are calling for stricter restrictions on PFAS.
«It cannot be that a few profit economically while polluting the drinking water of millions of others and causing serious health problems«, says Dr. Jane Muncke, Managing Director of the Food Packaging Foundation in Zurich, who was not involved in the study.
«The enormous sums it will cost to reduce PFAS in drinking water to a level that is safe according to current scientific knowledge must be paid by the industry that manufactures and uses these toxic chemicals.»
The time to act, she says, is now.
