Sierra Club Robert Lunz Group

 Focus on PFAS Part 1

Okay, anyone who attends Lunz Group programs, reads the newspaper or listens to the news knows that dangerous PFAS chemicals are everywhere, forever. It’s a daunting issue! We include this Focus on PFAS in our newsletter to help us explore this topic, to understand immediate threats to our health and to identify solutions for our safety from these toxins. We’ll toss out a topic for your consideration and encourage you to engage in the dialogue and submit your own contributions. Here goes…

Drinking Water: Yes, PFAS and related chemicals are in drinking water across the country. Nina Fair spoke with Becky Thames, Lab Director at Charleston Water System. Becky was forthcoming about CWS information regarding PFAS. CWS has been voluntarily publishing an Unregulated Compounds Report since 2017, as conditions (such as Covid) and technology allow. (https://www.charlestonwater.com/232/Water-Quality-Reports) EPA has proposed Minimum Reporting Level (MRL) of 4 parts per trillion for drinking water. Once the MRLs are adopted, much work will still need to be done at state and local levels to bring about those results. It may be 2030 before consumers actually experience safer levels of PFAS in drinking water. Meanwhile, it may be worth considering installation of a home water filtration system. According to Duke University research, the least effective PFAS filters are activated charcoal and whole house systems. The most effective systems are dual-cartridge under-sink and reverse osmosis systems. Do some research – we’d love to hear what you discover!

Here's a link to the Mount Pleasant Waterworks water quality report. Note on page 7 a view of some of the chemical compounds included as PFAS 

Here's a link to a PDF summary document