Drinking water in parts of Prince William County exceeds new 'forever chemical' limit
Part of Prince William Co. water exceeds new forever chemical limit
In northern Virginia, there's growing concern about chemicals impacting the water. A 2021 preliminary water test shows part of Prince William County is over the new limit for PFAs -- also known as "forever chemicals." FOX 5's Tisha Lewis has more from Occoquan.
OCCOQUAN, Va. - In northern Virginia, there's growing concern about chemicals impacting the water.
A 2021 preliminary water test shows part of Prince William County is over the new limit for PFAs — also known as "forever chemicals."
The water in question comes from the Occoquan Reservoir. Testing shows it has high levels of PFAS, which are chemicals that can come from food packaging, pans, clothing, furniture, and more.
Susan Miller is the Public Affairs Manager at Fairfax Water, the company that wholesales water to Prince William County.
Watchdog finds widespread evidence of 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
A watchdog group is raising the alarm after finding widespread evidence of dangerous substances lurking in our drinking water. The Environmental Working Group took 44 samples from 31 states and Washington D.C., finding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in all but one of them.
Miller told FOX 5 that customers do not need to take any action, the water is safe.
She also says despite the high levels of PFAs, no violation has occurred; these are only proposed regulations and they may change by the time they are approved.
"Stopping PFAs at the source, before it reaches drinking water sources, is key to ensuring our customers have high-quality water at affordable rates and that’s what’s being done right now via Fairfax Water," Miller said.
There are health concerns caused by these forever chemicals, including a higher risk of cancer, developmental issues, and increased vaccine resistance. Fairfax Water says they will proactively monitor the water for these forever chemicals.