This is part of a special report on forever chemical contamination in Ohio. Ideastream Public Media reporters spent months investigating the impact of these chemicals to answer the question, "How worried should we be?" New radio stories will drop every Tuesday in January, 2024.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyls, are a class of chemicals that pose risks to the environment and people alike. Commonly referred to as "forever chemicals," PFAS have been linked to chronic health issues like high cholesterol, low birth weight and cancer.
But these chemicals are widely used in common products from nonstick cookware and fast-food packaging to strain-repellant sprays and waterproof makeup.
The wide use of PFAS means that the chemicals are fund everywhere, including in our bodies. Federal and state regulation around PFAS contamination and cleanup is not yet finalized, so for now, the best defense against the chemicals is to stay informed about where they are and how to avoid them.
Read more: New Ideastream series on PFAS synthetic chemicals asks how worried should we be?
Find sources of PFAS contamination
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency's PFAS Analytic Tools tracks reports of PFAS manufacture, release and occurrence across the country. The database includes pulls from reports by industries that use PFAS, drinking water research, environmental sampling and details from potentially contaminated locations.
The Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy group that researches PFAS, published its own interactive PFAS contamination map tracking locations where PFAS have been found in drinking water and at military bases across the country.
The Green Science Policy Institute published a list of PFAS-specific databases with data relating to sources, points of contamination, action and more. The institute also has its own list of PFAS-free alternatives for common, essential goods.
Check Ohio's water sample results
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Department of Health collaborated on the sampling and testing of water across the state for the presence of PFAS and other variations of the chemical, including PFOS GenX, PFBS, PFHxs and PFNA.
The locations of the public water systems tested and the test results can be found online through the OEPA's interactive map.
Read more: What's in your walleye? Studies have found forever chemicals in Ohio's freshwater fish
Stay up to date on PFAS developments
The EWG said the U.S. EPA has known about the harm posed by the use of PFAS since 1998. The agency said it has since engaged in research to better understand the long-term effects of the chemicals on human health and the environment.
The U.S. EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap tracks the agency's key actions and future goals relating to PFAS research and regulation.
The agency's PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation expected in December has yet to be finalized and added to the roadmap.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Humane Services' National Toxicology Program engage in their own PFAS research and publish publicly accessible factsheets online.
Contact the U.S and Ohio EPAs
The U.S. EPA published its proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation in March that would establish maximum contamination levels for six types of PFAS, require public water systems to monitor and report PFAS levels to the public and reduce PFAS levels when they exceed the maximums.
Public comment period for the draft ended in May, but questions or comments about the draft can be sent to the U.S. EPA through an online form.
PFAS contamination in fish and wildlife has yet to be reported in the state of Ohio, but the Ohio EPA announced in December that it will be working with the Ohio Department of Health to test fish caught in Ohio rivers for PFAS and to publish data in the state's annual fish consumption advisories.
