astonishingly in high spirits levels of PFAS chemical substance have been find in several popular brand of bottled H2O in the United States , concord to aConsumer Reports investigation . Though none of the brand tested exceeded the level for wiretap water suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) , many experts and province regulators claim that limit is not acceptable .
PFAS , orper- and polyfluoroalkyl substance , are chemical compound chemical substance often call off “ perpetually chemicals ” because they do n’t naturally break down and there is no known way to ruin them . They are found in many consumer ware , including food for thought promotional material , nonstick materials ( like Teflon ) , paint , and cleaning product .
Of the nearly 50 brands of bottled pee try for four clayey metal ( arsenic , Cd , Pb , and hydrargyrum ) and 30 PFAS chemicals , it was the effervescent water system where higher grade of PFAS were detected . All had traces of heavy metals well below the legal limit , but only two of the 35 non - carbonated water had PFAS that exceed 1 part per trillion ( ppt ) compared to seven of the 12 carbonate waters test over 1 ppt .
Topo Chico exceed this leaderboard with a PFAS level of 9.76 , followed by Polar at 6.41 , and Bubly at 2.24 with Canada Dry , Perrier , La Croix , and Polar Spring all coming in just over 1ppt . Only one brand came in at concerning levels of arsenous anhydride : Whole Foods ’ Starkey Spring Water at 9.53 ppb .
There are presently no Union limits for PFAS in imbibing water , but some states require routine examination and have rig their own limitation . The EPA ’s current guidelines state that PFAS levels should be below 70 ppt , but scientists and environmental groups say this is too gamy and 1 ppt is a more good tier for humanity . While the EPA says it is working on proposal for regulate bottled water , according to Ryan Felton , an investigative diary keeper who worked on the CR report , it could take old age before this becomes law , CBS News reports .
Currently , it is the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) that is responsible for regulating bottled water system , and though it is investigate the exposure of people to PFAS through food and swallow , itdoes not presently offer any guidelinesor advice for a terminus ad quem in bottled water supply .
PFAS have been linked to inauspicious wellness result in humans , from increased cholesterin and cancer to affecting infant birth exercising weight and the immune system , allot to the EPA . TheNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciencesincludes “ neutered metamorphosis , birth rate , shrink foetal increase , and concentrate ability of the immune system of rules to push infections . ”
The CR write up express that the level of PFAS found in some effervescent water indicate the motive for science - based federal point of accumulation in both tap and bottled H2O .
“ The fact that so many brands had total PFAS below 1 ppt shows it is feasible to get to more protective levels , ” Brian Ronholm , CR ’s director of food insurance , tell .
