Removing ‘forever’ chemicals from drinking water

ASU researchers discover a way to make dangerous PFAS biodegradable — and harmless

The everyday act of drinking a glass of water from the faucet may be a greater hazard to our health than we imagined.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are dangerous, even in amounts so small as to be undetectable in drinking water. The agency has set legal drinking water limits for six of the most studied and toxic PFAS compounds, commonly known as “forever chemicals” due to their stubborn persistence in the environment. The new limits mark the first time in 26 years that the EPA has set legal limits for a contaminant in drinking water.

Municipal utilities will be required to remove the compounds from drinking water, which experts say could cost billions of dollars. For communities with the pollutants, it’s a costly problem to solve.

But researchers at ASU have developed a new method that helps microorganisms destroy PFAS. The technology may prove to be more cost-effective and nonpolluting than alternative technologies. A research team at the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology has discovered an unorthodox way to break PFAS down — by introducing them to a team of microorganisms that act like PFAS assassins.

After a solid track record of success in the laboratory, it’s time to gear up for future field testing at contaminated sites. The researchers’ next step is to scale up the technology to a larger, real-world configuration and conduct experiments in the lab and then in the field.

Time is of the essence. Data compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization, reveals that PFAS lurk in the drinking water of more than 200 million Americans, or more than 60% of the country’s population. The compounds may take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down in the environment.

They also linger in the human body. A large number of studies suggest that high levels of certain PFAS in the body may lead to health problems ranging from high cholesterol to pregnancy complications to increased risk of some cancers. Scientists are still learning about the true scope of PFAS-related health effects.