Author: Savannah Sinor, Abigail Carpenter
The Hometown Strong Team is kicking off this short, four-part blog series to shed some light on the growing issue of PFAS. In this first edition, we'll explore what PFAS is and why it's important for rural communities.
Communities across the country, including those in North Carolina, are facing water quality issues. It turns out that their water has been contaminated by chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals." These chemicals have been used in various products like firefighting foam, stain-resistant clothes, and non-stick food packaging since the 1950s.
Two common PFAS chemicals are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and they've been extensively studied due to their frequent use. The problem with these chemicals is that they break down very slowly, which means that when the products they were part of decompose, PFAS do not break down with them. Instead, they can and will leak into the soil, water, and air, potentially exposing people to them.
Ongoing studies are being conducted to understand the impact of PFAS on health, and preliminary results suggest negative health outcomes in humans and animals. These include decreased fertility, increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental effects in children, increased cancer risk, reduced immune system function, hormonal interference, and elevated cholesterol levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The issue of PFAS contamination is particularly tricky for our rural communities because they often lack the resources and infrastructure to effectively test and treat water. This means that smaller municipalities might not have the budget for advanced water treatment technologies that can filter out PFAS, leaving residents at higher risk of exposure. Also, many rural residents rely on private wells which are not regulated by the same standards as municipal water supplies, leading to potentially undetected PFAS contamination.
Furthermore, many rural residents rely on farming for their livelihood. PFAS-contaminated water can also affect livestock, leading to economic losses for farmers and potentially tainting the food supply.
In a future post, the Hometown Strong Team will dig into the existing resources for funding and testing that these communities can access to start mitigating the impact of PFAS.
PFAS contamination is not just an environmental issue; it's a public health and economic concern that demands immediate attention, especially in rural areas where the impact can be more pronounced and harder to mitigate.
Stay tuned for our next installment in the PFAS Series, where we'll dig into how PFAS ended up in our waterways and who may be held responsible.