'Forever chemicals' known as PFAS found in SoCal water as UCI researchers study impact

By Carlos Granda and Grace Manthey | ABC 7 | April 21, 2023

Read the full article by Carlos Granda and Grace Manthey (ABC 7)

"Thousands of dangerous manmade chemicals are used to produce everyday items such as cookware, food packaging, waterproof fabrics and firefighting foam.

Many of them are classified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short.

In Southern California, an ABC7 analysis shows PFAS were found in more than 200 water systems, servicing more than 18 million people at some point over the last 10 years.

"We all have these chemicals in our bodies, but we want less of them than we have," said Scott Bartell, a professor of environmental occupational health at UC Irvine."