The Dangerous Immortals --- PFAS is Forever, and Plastic Never Goes Away
The public drinking water sector faces many challenges in being able to deliver safe drinking water to the public. As a result of more and more scientific studies of chemicals and other materials being performed, more and more threats to safe drinking water are being identified. Public water systems have had to and continue to combat lead and PFAS on an around the clock basis. Billions of dollars have been expended in facility upgrades, and lawsuits involving the dangerous duo. Another threat to safe drinking water, and human health, known as nanoplastics has entered the spotlight. In a Columbia Climate School Newsletter article of May 5, 2025, it was reported each year, more than 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally, and only 9% of the plastic is recycled. Microplastics are plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters in size. As they degrade further, they become nanoplastics, which are 1/1,000 of a millimeter. Food and Water Watch has cited the threat of nanoplastics in drinking water, and the dangers they pose to public health. Food and Water Watch reported on November 25, 2024, nanoplastics have been identified in bodies of humans causing medical problems, e.g., disrupting liver functions, hormones and even causing cell death. Nanoplastics have also been found in the brain where they can accumulate. A major exposure pathway for nanoplastics to enter human bodies is through drinking water. Food and Water Watch also reported on November 25, 2024, drinking water contained in plastic bottles can expose humans to six times as many microplastics compared to tap water. But tap water under certain circumstances may also pose a threat.
PFAS is known as the forever chemical, but as reported in the Mankato Free Press on May 4, 2025, “…plastic never goes away-it just breaks down into finer and finer particles” according to Dr. Desiree LeBeaud, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Stanford Medicine and co-founder of the university’s interdisciplinary Plastics and Health Working Group. Plastic is the everywhere material that can be found in ground water and surface water sources. In a May 4, 2025, article in The Mankato Free Press was a discussion of whether a water treatment plant in Mankato, MN, could remove microplastics. The discussion concluded there is some indication an ultrafiltration system may be getting the job done. The city’s website describes the ultrafiltration system as “…ultrafiltration membranes are so tight they are capable of blocking the smallest and most difficult microorganisms for safety.”
A legal concern for the drinking water sector is plastics in drinking water may become the next magnitude of lawsuits liken to the lead and PFAS lawsuits. An example of this in Yahoo! News on May 9, 2025, reported Ziploc is the defendant in a class action lawsuit alleging Ziploc misled consumers to believe their plastic bags are safe to be used for food storage in freezers and in heating in microwaves without exposure to microplastics. This may be the beginning of the spread of such lawsuits to other entities selling products containing microplastics that can be ingested by humans.
The Fluoride Brush Off
Fluoride has been widely added to public systems in the United States since 1945, when Grand Rapids, MI, became the first city in the world to Fluoridate its drinking water. The Federal and Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Acts neither require nor forbid the use of fluoride in drinking water. The use of fluoride is discretionary for a public water system. However, a public water system must have a permit approval to add it to drinking water and a permit approval to remove it. If added to drinking water a public water system must maintain it at permitted levels of 4 milligrams per liter. Fluoride has been added to drinking water by many public water systems to provide protection for dental care and to prevent cavities. ABC News reported on April 2, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and a growing number of others are skeptical of the benefits of fluoride and claim fluoride in drinking water affects children’s neurological development. Some health professionals have expressed concerns about excessive fluoride intake and potential toxicity. Opponents say public water systems should not medicate its users. However, many doctors and dental associations argue fluoride in water is still a crucial low-risk/high reward public health tool for children who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.
The Associated Press reported on April 7, 2025, Secretary Kennedy has told the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Utah is the first state to ban the use of fluoride in public drinking water systems in that state beginning May 7, 2025. Florida became the second state to ban the use of fluoride, but only by local government water systems in Florida. ABC News reported on April 2, 2025, at the local level, more communities are banning fluoride in public drinking water. Whether this trend will continue is uncertain. But one thing is certain, politicians and public water systems, will continue to receive pressure from both sides of the argument. Also, expect to see lawsuits being brought by both sides of the fluoride issue.