Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
Status: No national drinking water standard exists
Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA) is a member of a group of perfluorinated chemicals used in many consumer products. PFTA and other perfluorinated chemicals can cause serious health effects, including cancer, endocrine disruption, accelerated puberty, liver and immune system damage, and thyroid changes. These chemicals are persistent in the environment and they accumulate in people. Click here to read more about perfluorinated chemicals.
Health concerns for PFTA
Cancer
Harm to the immune system
Hormone disruption
Harm to fetal growth and child development
Harm to the liver
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
EWG Health Guideline 1 ppt
The EWG Health Guideline of 1 ppt for PFTA was defined by EWG as based on studies by Phillipe Grandjean of Harvard University and many other independent researchers who found reduced effectiveness of vaccines and adverse impacts on mammary gland development from exposure to PFOA and PFOS, the two PFAS most widely detected in drinking water. This health guideline protects against applies to the entire class of PFCs detected in water.
ppt = parts per trillion
States reporting PFTA in drinking water
UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION | |||
---|---|---|---|
State | Utilities | People Served | |
New Hampshire | 1 | 2,838 |
Filtering technologies that reduce PFTA
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Utilities with the highest amounts of PFTA, 2017-2019
Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hampstead Area Water | Atkinson, NH | 4 of 12 | 0.245 ppt | 2,838 |
Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
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