Providing the safest and cleanest drinking water for your family will always be a priority. That’s why it’s important to understand what PFASs are and how dangerous they can be.
What are PFAs?
According to the EPA, PFAS are described as “a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s because of their useful properties. There are thousands of different PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others.” While PFOA and PFOS have been replaced by other PFAS in recent years, their threat to human health is still very prevalent.
Where can PFAS be found?
Not only are humans at risk, but because PFAS break down so slowly, they can build up in animals and the environment over time. Along with contaminating drinking water, PFAS are also found in a handful of other places including:
- Food and food packaging.
- The air you breathe.
- Soil and water at or near waste sites.
- Household products such as cleaning products or non-stick cookware.
- Personal care products such as shampoo, dental floss and cosmetics.
- The manufacturing of plastic and rubber and insulation for wiring.
- Fire extinguishing foam used in training and emergency response events at airports, shipyards, military bases, firefighting training facilities, chemical plants and refineries.
- Biosolids such as fertilizer from wastewater treatment plants that are used on agricultural lands.
What are the risks of PFAS?
As far as how those PFAS affect people’s health, they can have different effects depending on a host of factors such as age and exposure level.
Exposure to PFAS can lead to:
- Decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
- Increased risk of some cancers such as prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
- Increased cholesterol levels and a risk of obesity.
- Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
- Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
- Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
How to avoid PFAS: Testing & Treatment
Basin Water Solutions has plenty of options to help keep your family safe from these harmful chemicals. As part of our PFAS testing and treatment processes, we’ll start with testing your water to reveal the chemicals within. From there, we’ll discuss your options for treating these chemicals.
Both Whole House Water Filtration and Reverse Osmosis implement the use of Activated Carbon filtration, which employs a process that absorbs both natural and synthetic chemicals. Activated carbon is an effective adsorbent because it is a highly porous material and provides a large surface area to which contaminants may adsorb. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Activated Carbon effectively removes PFAS from drinking water when it is used in a flow through filter mode after particulates have already been removed. Powdered activated carbon is another option as well.
A recent study by the Water Quality Research Foundation revealed that Activated Carbon filters effectively removed between 98.1% to 99.9% of all PFAS tested. These methods are great options to clean and purify your water. Basin Water Solutions can install, repair, and maintain these systems with superior customer service.