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'Forever chemicals' found in Chattahoochee river can be harmful long-term

The chemicals are 'forever' because they do not break down in organisms, waterkeepers said.

GEORGIA, USA — Officials with the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper said they found seven different species of “forever chemicals” in the Chattahoochee River and in some of Atlanta’s drinking water.

These chemicals, also known as polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS in the scientific world, stay in organisms and grow instead of breaking down, according to a study from the Waterkeeper Alliance.

“This is something that doesn’t environmentally degrade. What you put in tends to stay where you put it,” Fletcher Sams, the executive director of the Altamaha Riverkeeper explained

The chemicals are also found in airport firefighting foam, Teflon pans and even certain industrial tapes. 

They have been also around since the 1940s and tens and thousands of industrial plants might be dumping the chemicals into surface waters.

Riverkeepers’ primary concerns are the long-term health effects that the substances can have on people. 

“What’s even more alarming is what we don’t know about all the replacement chemicals. These thousands of chemicals are not as well understood and pose a serious risk,” explained Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative.

According to the Waterkeeper Alliance study, scientists have linked the chemicals to cancers, hormonal balances, birth defects and more.

Waterkeepers are worried about the health and safety of the public since there are no standards from the Environmental Protection Agency on the amount of the chemicals in drinking water.

However, waterkeepers hope new guidance from the EPA will make water source distributors disclose and test the amount of PFAs.

“The largest concern that we have as water advocates is really the public’s right to know about the content of the fluorinated compounds that are going into our rivers,” Sams said. 

They said the EPA will introduce the guidance for the dangerous substances in 2023.

   

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