A recent study from the U.S.-based environmental nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance has found “forever chemicals” contamination in 98% of the waterways it tested in the United States. The findings come at a time when representatives from the world are gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for the United Nations plastics treaty negotiations to hammer out a plan to address the growing plastic crisis. The issue of addressing the chemicals in plastic has emerged as a sticking point in the negotiations. One of the most widely used chemicals in single-use plastic is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. Also known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS can persist in the environment for hundreds to thousands of years. The study sampled both upstream and downstream from 22 wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. The researchers also collected data from waterways upstream and downstream of 10 areas where biosolids — or sewage sludge that is being used as a fertilizer — were applied, Kelly Hunter Foster, a senior attorney with Watekeeper Alliance, said in a video call. The study focused on low-income and minority environmental justice communities across 19 U.S. states. “Unfortunately Latino and other communities of color are disproportionately faced to bear the burden [of PFAS],” Vanessa Muñoz, waterways program manager with the Hispanic Access Foundation said in a press release. The researchers found elevated PFAS levels in 95% of sites downstream from wastewater treatment plants, meaning the facilities aren’t effectively removing a class of chemicals linked to health concerns including developmental delays in children, fertility issues…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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