A striking detail is that both private wells and public systems showed similar levels of contamination. And although there are more than 12,000 varieties of PFAS, only a small portion of them could be detected due to technical limitations in testing.

Jamie DeWitt, a toxicology expert at East Carolina University, noted that she was not surprised by the widespread presence of these chemicals, as they are practically everywhere. Even so, she advised people not to panic, but to stay informed about the quality of the water they consume and to take action when possible.

Among her recommendations are checking water quality reports from providers and considering the use of carbon filters or reverse osmosis systems, although the latter can be expensive.

Faced with this situation, the EPA has proposed establishing much stricter national limits for six types of PFAS in drinking water, with levels so low that they often cannot even be detected with conventional methods. If approved, water systems would be required to take action to control the presence of these substances.

Graham Peaslee, a physicist and researcher at the University of Notre Dame, warned that dealing with this issue will be one of the costliest environmental challenges the country has ever faced, surpassed only by climate change. According to him, there is no quick or definitive solution, but urgent action is needed due to the real impact these chemicals have on public health.

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