Toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are in everything from Band-Aids and clothing to water and floss. However, new research reveals they are potentially even more widespread in the U.S. than previously thought. The research done by Northeastern University’s PFAS Project Lab reveals that while there are about 2,200 known sites of PFAS contamination in the U.S., there are close to another 80,000 likely contaminated sites. It presents what the researchers say is a much more complete — and stark — picture of PFAS contamination while also presenting legislators, communities and environmental activists with a roadmap of where to focus their efforts.
The PFAS Project Lab has been mapping sites contaminated by “forever chemicals,” an entire class of toxic substances, for around a decade. It started as a way to address what remains the biggest issue around PFAS remediation. “We don’t know where PFAS is or where it’s coming from,” says Kimberly Garrett, a postdoctoral research fellow with the PFAS Project Lab and lead on this research. As the lab started to map known PFAS contamination sites, they realized that the data was limited. Since PFAS testing is far from widespread — it’s largely up to states or environmental organizations to conduct testing — they were entirely reliant on an incomplete picture of contamination.
