This article was originally published by the Chesapeake Bay Journal, an award-winning nonprofit news organization that has been covering environmental issues in the Bay region for more than 30 years.
Forever chemicals are polluting a substantial majority of tested waterways in the Chesapeake Bay region, according to a new report.
PFAS were detected in 100% of the waterway locations tested in the District of Columbia, 100% in Delaware, 95% in Pennsylvania, 93% in New York, 71% in West Virginia, 70% in Virginia and 67% in Maryland. The testing was conducted from 2022 to 2024.
“The [U.S.] capital region’s waterways should be clean and free of toxic chemicals,” said Ruby Mae Heathman, an associate with the Environment America Research & Policy Center, one of the study’s authors. “Yet PFAS contamination of our rivers and lakes is widespread. We shouldn’t have to worry about tainted drinking water or catching and eating contaminated fish.”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of more than 12,000 compounds found in countless products. They persist in the environment for eons – hence their nickname, “forever chemicals.” Some have been linked to cancer, cardiovascular issues and developmental harm.
The report was released Oct. 14 by Environment America, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, the Maryland PIRG Foundation and the Frontier Group. It covers 40 states, drawing data from the Water Quality Portal maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Waterkeeper groups in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Nationwide, PFAS were found in 83% of locations. The data set doesn’t include all PFAS testing sources, and not all waterways were tested, so it likely represents only a fraction of the total contamination, the report says.
Some of the notable Chesapeake area waterways with PFAS detections included the Anacostia River and Kingman Lake in the District; Jones Falls, Jabez Branch and the Monocacy River in Maryland; Kreutz Creek and the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania; and Bull Run, the Appomattox River and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in Virginia.