California residents need to be on high alert regarding the state’s drinking water—and as soon as possible. According to a new report, millions of those living in California have been affected by highly contaminated water.
Environmental Working Group recently revealed that 7.5 million California residents have been affected by the state’s contaminated drinking water. @CNN reports that the non-profit organization discovered the water sources for 74 community systems, which serve roughly 7.5 million Californians, have been contaminated with PFAS (perfluoroalky and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals.
To give some context, the US Environmental Protection Agency says studies show high concentrations of PFOA and PFOS, just two of the potentially thousands of types of PFAS chemicals. These chemicals can cause increased cholesterol levels in humans, along with immune system issues, thyroid problems and even cancer.
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There is some positive news surrounding California’s water issue however, as Environmental Working Group’s findings don’t necessarily reflect that water that’s currently flowing out of taps at the moment. Although, residents should still exercise caution since the water samples taken for the findings were from 2013 to 2019.
The areas with the highest detections of contamination were Camp Pendleton, Corona, Oroville, Rosemont and the eastern Sacramento suburbs. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a law, which goes into effect in 2020, that allows the state board to order public water systems to monitor for PFAS chemicals and requiring community water systems to report detections.
PFAS are just found in drinking water, they are also found in the food we eat. They pose a major concern because these chemicals don’t break down over time, which is why they’ve been called “forever chemicals” since they build up in the environment and in our bodies.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
