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EWG's Tap Water Database — 2021 UPDATE

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N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)

Status: No national drinking water standard exists

 

N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA) is a member of a group of perfluorinated chemicals used in many consumer products. NMeFOSAA 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.

2017-2019:

FOUND
FOUND ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES

4

states detected

9

utilities detected

235,000

people served

0

states over health guideline

0

utilities over health guideline

0

people served over health guideline

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 1 ppt

The EWG Health Guideline of 1 ppt for NMeFOSAA 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 PFAS detected in water.

ppt = parts per trillion

States reporting NMeFOSAA in drinking water

UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION
State UtilitiesPeople Served
California4209,350
Massachusetts220,127
North Carolina25,199
New Hampshire1136
MORE
LESS

Filtering technologies that reduce NMeFOSAA

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Activated Carbon

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Reverse Osmosis

Utilities with the highest amounts of NMeFOSAA, 2017-2019

ALL UTILITIES
LARGE UTILITIES
UtilityLocationTestsAverage levelPeople served
Bath Village Water WorksBath, NH1 of 14.80 ppt136
Seekonk Water DistrictSeekonk, MA1 of 12.06 ppt13,627
Pittsboro, Town of*Pittsboro, NC1 of 11.80 ppt4,401
Chapel Ridge S/dCary, NC1 of 11.80 ppt798
City of Loma LindaLoma Linda, CA1 of 180.156 ppt23,261
Devens Massdevelopment*Devens, MA1 of 370.0940 ppt6,500
Home Gardens County Water DistrictCorona, CA1 of 780.0310 ppt3,033
City of Corona*Corona, CA1 of 780.0310 ppt155,896

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA), but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.

UtilityLocationTestsAverage levelPeople served
Seekonk Water DistrictSeekonk, MA1 of 12.06 ppt13,627
City of Loma LindaLoma Linda, CA1 of 180.156 ppt23,261
City of Corona*Corona, CA1 of 780.0310 ppt155,896

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA), but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.