Dear Dr. Roach: Having seen a lot about forever chemicals in print lately, I’ve found a charcoal filter pitcher that removes forever chemicals from water, in addition to the usual contaminants. In my city water, they’re 5-10 points above the nationally accepted concentration. Is it worth the effort to use this pitcher for drinking, rinsing, etc.?
D.H.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acids (PFOS) are two of the most important “forever chemicals” that are found extensively in the environment as byproducts of manufacturing. They last in the body for a very long time and have been associated with increased risks of kidney cancer, liver disease, and reproductive toxicity.
In April, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reduced the maximum concentration in water to 4 parts per trillion (it used to be 10) and also mandated that water be tested for this contaminant by 2027. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 45% of public drinking systems will have detectable amounts of at least one of these contaminants in their drinking water.
It’s estimated that an exposure at the previous high limit (10 parts per trillion) corresponds to a risk of liver and kidney disease mortality in 3 people per 10,000. With a limit of 4 parts per trillion, the risk would be lower. This is not a big difference, and other changes in your life such as diet and exercise are likely to have a much bigger impact on your life. Still, this is a risk that can be lowered fairly easily.
The first step for a person interested in water quality is to see whether your water has these chemicals in it. This information may already be available from your water supplier. Since you have already found that your water is above the allowable limit (you should double check this with your water supplier), you have some options.
A pitcher with a filter in it might protect you, since some are effective at removing these chemicals. Another option is to place an inline filter in your drinking water. This has an advantage over a pitcher, in that it keeps the contaminants out of cooking water. Any filter needs to be regularly replaced in order to stay effective.
Reverse osmosis, activated carbon filters, and anion exchange resins are the preferred technologies, but they have drawbacks, such as requiring much more water. You can read more about your options at tinyurl.com/NSFWaterFilter.
Dear Dr. Roach: I read your recent column on decongestants causing men to have trouble urinating. Do they affect women the same way?
S.P.
Decongestants do not have the same issue in women, since women don’t have prostate glands. But some antihistamines do reduce the bladder’s ability to squeeze in both men and women. In women with an overactive bladder, this can actually be helpful. Men with enlarged prostate glands often have problems with older antihistamines, since the bladder needs strong contractions to overcome the resistance from the pressure on the urethra.
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