What's in your water? These 3 questions help you find out - and decide what to do next

"A few years back, my wife and I received an ominous yet nonchalant letter from our town, alerting us to the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in our drinking water. After an embarrassingly long time trying to sound out the words like toddlers in preschool, we were able to boil the message down to its essence: There are chemical substances in the water, more of them than we'd like, and we're working on it. Super. Thanks for the heads up."

"By now, a lot of us are familiar with the acronym PFAS to shorten the alphabet soup of the per- and polyfluoro flavor of molecules. If not, you might be aware of their code name: "The Forever Chemicals." We'll save the deep dive on PFAS for a future research study, and I'll hold the update on our personal saga until the end of the article, but some recent findings from research firm Habitelligence suggest that we're not alone in our water struggles."

"Out of a sample of 576 households spread evenly across the country, the research shows that the presence of known water issues -- those warranting notification by a government agency, public utility, or other authority -- varies among regions. While only one in 10 from the Pacific and Mountain West region cited problems, more than a third of Southwest households had been notified of issues with their water."

One in five households reports known water issues while more than 60% have never had their water tested. A municipal notice alerted a household to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, also known as "The Forever Chemicals." A survey of 576 households found regional variation: about 10% of Pacific and Mountain West respondents cited problems, while over one-third of Southwest households received notifications. Water quality depends on location and source, including public systems or private wells. About 15% of respondents listed a private well as their main water source. Many homeowners are investing in whole-home treatment technology.

Read at ZDNET