Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Environmental pollution

Pervasive fluorinated chemicals

Pollution by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is widespread in global water resources and likely to be underestimated, according to global analysis of available PFAS data.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

Bildagentur-online/Ohde / Alamy Stock Photo

References

  1. Dewapriya, P. et al. J. Hazard. Mater. Lett. 4, 100086 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ackerman Grunfeld, D. et al. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01402-8 (2024).

  3. Kwiatkowski, C. F. et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 7, 532–543 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Understanding the PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Proposal Hazard Index. EPA https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-03/How%20do%20I%20calculate%20the%20Hazard%20Index._3.14.23.pdf

  5. Lindstrom, A. B., Strynar, M. J. & Libelo, E. L. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 7954–7961 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. He, C. et al. Nat. Commun. 12, 4667 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank G. Hagler and R. Liberatore for their helpful editing suggestions. This document has been subjected to the EPA’s administrative review and approved for publication. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the EPA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Strynar.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Strynar, M. Pervasive fluorinated chemicals. Nat. Geosci. 17, 280–281 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01413-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01413-5

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene