Warning As Forever Chemicals Revealed in Bottled Water Globally
Toxic "forever chemicals" have been found in drinking water samples from around the world, new research has warned.
PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, are a class of chemicals that can be found in a range of everyday products, from toilet paper to food packaging, cosmetics and dental floss. Nicknamed forever chemicals, these compounds break down very slowly over time and stick around in their surrounding environment.
As a result, these chemicals can be found in soil, oceans and waterways around the world. Indeed, a 2023 study by the United States Geological Survey found that nearly half of the nation's tap water was contaminated by some sort of PFAS.
In a new study, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and Southern University of Science and Technology in China, two pervasive PFAS—called perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate—were detected in over 99 percent of bottled water samples from 15 countries globally.
