The results were troubling. Mothers exposed to PFAS-contaminated water experienced higher infant mortality, more premature births, and more babies born at very low birth weights. These outcomes are linked to serious, lifelong health challenges. When researchers applied these findings to the entire U.S., they estimated the total cost at least $8 billion per year, including medical expenses, long-term health problems, and reduced lifetime earnings. The researchers say this makes a strong case for cleaning up PFAS contamination.
“If we compare costs we’re finding versus the cost of cleaning up PFAS, the answers are obvious,” said study coauthor Derek Lemoine, a professor of economics and director of graduate studies in the U of A Eller College of Management. “Removing PFAS from drinking water not only results in drastically improved health outcomes. It also produces a significant long-term economic benefit.”
PFAS were originally created for products that resist heat, oil, and water, including firefighting foams. They are called “forever chemicals” because they break down extremely slowly and continue to move from soil into groundwater long after their use has stopped.
“We found really substantial impacts on infant health, which expanded on what others before us had found,” Langer said. “What we then do is calculate how these negative birth outcomes follow these children throughout their lives. The numbers we found represent the lowest end of the economic impact-we suspect it is even more.”
The study focused on two older PFAS chemicals that are no longer made in the U.S. but remain widespread in the environment.
“Whatever PFAS we see in groundwater is only a tiny fraction of the PFAS that has been dumped in the environment,” Guo said. “The majority of PFAS is still in the soil and migrating downward.”
The researchers note that activated carbon filters, used by water utilities or installed in homes, can remove these chemicals from drinking water.
“These chemicals may be everywhere, but we still find that drinking water matters for pregnant women. Installing and maintaining home water filters could be prudent for them,” Lemoine said.