"But unlike many smaller municipal utilities across the U.S., the Louisville Water Company regularly checks for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). That's a class of chemicals, used by manufacturers for decades to make things like nonstick pans, cosmetics, raincoats, food wrappers and firefighting foam. Research studies have linked PFAS to health risks like cancer, reduced immune system functioning, high cholesterol, and developmental delays in children."
"Almost a year ago, workers noticed an unexpected spike in the level of GenX detected in a sample of the raw, untreated water drawn from the Ohio River for filtering and processing. In water, PFAS concentration is measured in parts per trillion. The GenX levels they found last December were 15 times higher than the previous month: 52 parts per trillion versus 3.4 parts per trillion."
The Ohio River supplies billions of gallons of water daily to Louisville's treatment plant, where technicians test for pH, odors, heavy metals, microbes, and PFAS. PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in nonstick cookware, cosmetics, raincoats, food wrappers, and firefighting foam. Research links PFAS exposure to cancer, reduced immune function, high cholesterol, and developmental delays in children. PFAS are nicknamed "forever chemicals" because their strong chemical bonds cause extreme persistence in the environment and accumulation in human blood. Louisville detected HFPO-DA (GenX) at 52 parts per trillion in intake water, up from 3.4 ppt the prior month.
Read at www.npr.org
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