Federal PFAS Testing and Tribal Public Water Systems

By Kira Mok, Derrick Salvatore, Martha Powers, Phil Brown, Maddy Poehlein, Otakuye Conroy-Ben, and Alissa Cordner
EHP
December 14, 2022
DOI: 10.1289/EHP11652

Systemic environmental health disparities exist for residents of Tribal Nations in the United States, who are disproportionately burdened by diseases and experience lower life expectancy compared to non-Native individuals. Research on Tribal drinking water is limited but includes documentation of high rates of unsafe levels of inorganic contaminants, nitrates, and foul odor and taste.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large class of persistent, toxic, and water-soluble chemicals, are a leading concern for safe drinking water. Exposure to PFAS has been associated with decreased antibody response, decreased fetal and infant growth, and increased risk of kidney cancer, and the evidence also suggests a relationship between PFAS exposure and the risk of breast cancer, testicular cancer, and thyroid disease. An estimated 200 million200 million U.S. residents receive PFAS-contaminated public drinking water, but no federal regulatory drinking water standards currently exist. Large gaps exist in knowledge about PFAS contamination on Tribal lands. To explore these gaps, we conducted a comparative analysis of past and future drinking water testing for Tribal and non-Tribal public water systems (PWS).

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