More cities are seeing PFAS pollution in drinking water. Here’s what Louisville found : Shots

Ohio River spews billions gallons of water flow past a pumping station in Louisville, Kentucky, every day, where city utilities suck it up to turn it into tap water.

To ensure the water tastes good and is safe to drink, a small team of scientists and technicians continually tests the water for pH, odors, heavy metals and microbes.

But unlike many smaller municipal utilities in the United States, Louisville Water Company regularly checks for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

This class of chemicals has been used by manufacturers for decades to make nonstick pans, cosmetics, raincoats, food wrappers and firefighting foam.

Research research linked PFAS to health risks such as cancer, decreased immune system function, high cholesterol and developmental delays in children.

They are also called “forever chemicals” because they are virtually indestructible. Their strong chemical structure causes them to degrade incredibly slowly in the environment.

Today they litter Earth And water sources around the world and can be found in blood almost all US residents

One type of PFAS that Louisville water officials monitor is HFPO-DA, although it may be better known by its trade name. generation X.

Nearly a year ago, workers noticed an unexpected spike in GenX levels found in a sample of raw, untreated water taken from the Ohio River for filtration and treatment.

PFAS concentrations in water are 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.

“A part per trillion is equal to one second in 32,800 years. Think about it, right?” said Peter Goodmanndirector of the city's water quality and research enterprise.

Another way to think about it is that one part per trillion would be equal to one drop within 20 Olympic swimming pools.

So the elevated levels were still quite low, he said.

But Goodman's team was curious what was going on. They tracked the chemical up the Ohio River, past Cincinnati and the Appalachian forests, all the way to a plant in West Virginia about 400 miles upstream.

There, Chemors Company. uses GenX to create fluoropolymersa special plastic needed for the semiconductors used in our phones.

Its Washington Works facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia, also has notorious history of PFAS contamination.

Lawyer, Robert Bilottgot into a fight with the previous owner of the plant, DuPontin court and eventually revealed The company knew that the type of PFAS it used, called PFOA, was toxic, but did not disclose that information.

DuPont continued decide different trials claiming it polluted the local environment with chemicals, although the company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Chemur was separated from DuPont in 2015.

What does the sudden surge in Louisville mean?

Louisville Water Co. team calculations. ultimately showed that the GenX spike in December 2024 was consistent with publicly available Chemours data on chemical discharges into the Ohio River.

Still, Goodman told NPR he's not concerned about the safety of local customers — even despite last year's surge.

That's because the risks associated with low concentrations of PFAS are measured over the entire duration of exposure, he said. And recent data from Louisville shows PFAS levels in city drinking water fell within planned federal safety limits.

Additionally, water is just one way people can be exposed to PFAS, Goodman added. “Because you get a lot more of these contaminants from packaging, from prepared foods, cake mixes, weird stuff, you know, popcorn boxes,” he said.

Chemours did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

But in Chemur's answers to lawsuit In a filing filed by a West Virginia environmental group, the company denied linking its emissions to the GenX release in Louisville. (Louisville is not a party to the lawsuit.)

The company also said sampling data showed that levels of GenX in the river and in drinking water treated downstream were “unquestionably safe.”

Data from Louisville Water showed that GenX levels were elevated in a water sample taken in December 2024 compared to previous months.

But after the water underwent routine treatment and filtration, levels fell below the new federal safety limit, which won't go into effect until 2029.

The federal government has long regulated levels certain pollutants in drinking water, such as arsenic, E. coli and lead.

But the EPA did not issue PFAS regulations until 2024, the final year of the Biden administration.

The new limits apply to six types of PFAS in drinking water. Starting in 2029, utilities that exceed limits will be required to treat their water to reduce pollution.

After Trump's re-election, his new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will maintain regulations for only two types of PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS, but will lift restrictions on the other four types, including GenX.

In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would give water utilities two more years, until 2031, to comply with the remaining rules, in part because of the financial burden on rural water plants.

Many utilities, large and small, will likely need invest in PFAS removal infrastructure.

A federal study It is estimated that about 45% of tap water in the United States contains at least one type of PFAS.

When the Biden administration announced final restrictions on PFAS, expected that up to 10% of the approximately 66,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. subject to these rules may have levels of PFAS high enough to require them to take action to reduce contamination.

PFAS removal will challenge water utilities

In compliance with current federal environmental regulations, Chemours Maybe dump some chemicals into the Ohio River. But he repeatedly exceeded legal limits for several years, according to court records and records. US Environmental Protection Agency.

That's why West Virginia Rivers Coalition filed suit in 2024.

Environmental Protection Agency took coercive measures in 2023 when it said it discovered that a Chemours factory in West Virginia had repeatedly exceeded permitted limits on two types of chemicals forever: GenX and PFOA.

But the West Virginia Rivers Coalition said in a court filing that the EPA's consent order on Chemours “is not being adequately pursued.”

Chemours declined to answer NPR's questions, citing ongoing litigation, except to note that “Louisville's finished drinking water is safe for consumption” because PFAS levels are below EPA regulatory limits, according to the Louisville Water report. own websiteand in annual water quality report Cincinnati, which also originates from the Ohio River..

As research into the health effects of PFAS continues, environmental advocates say it is critical for companies to comply with the limits set by government permits.

“Environmental regulatory permits are a license to pollute,” they said. Nick Hartdirector of water policy Kentucky Waterways Alliance.

“You're allowing someone to put something into the atmosphere, into the water, into the soil that wouldn't otherwise be there. And so when we talk about safe levels… stop using the word “safe”, right? This is the maximum permissible limit.”

PFAS can be removed from drinking water. For example, the Louisville utility is spending about $23 million to upgrade its powdered activated carbon system, which is one of the methods used to remove PFAS.

But removing PFAS can be costly, especially for small rural towns, Hart said. Preventing contaminants such as PFAS from entering public drinking water supplies is easier and less expensive than removing them at the outlet, he added.

In Chemours' responses to the lawsuit, the company acknowledged that violates the current permit, but noted that it is working with state regulators on a possible solution to the problem.

However, the federal judge in the case, Joseph Goodwindecided it wasn't fast enough.

In August he ordered Chemours to stop immediately excessive environmental pollution. The company quickly filed an appeal.

The West Virginia Rivers Coalition, which filed the lawsuit, declined to talk to NPR but indicated its position. August news release by the judge's decision.

“This is a victory for public health and the Ohio River,” Autumn Crow, the organization's deputy director, said in a statement. “The court recognized what communities have known for years: Chemours is polluting our water and ignoring its legal obligations.”

In the court file on the case Goodmann said elevated levels of GenX could make it difficult for water utilities like Louisville to comply with federal safe drinking water regulations.

As for Chemours specifically, Goodmann told NPR that when government regulators release the company's next report permits, he wants them to take into account downstream water treatment plants.

“So we manage risk, and we start it on the river,” he said. “It sounds strange, but protecting the water source—preventing trash from getting into the river—makes a big difference.”

This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with Louisville Public Media And KFF health news.