Experts suspect that the contaminants come from rural livestock. | Canva
Experts suspect that the contaminants come from rural livestock. | Canva
A new study conducted in Iowa that found synthetic chemicals throughout the river and stream system in the state, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. These chemicals are considered to be toxic, dangerous and incredibly hard to get rid of.
“They’re all over the place,” Dana Kolpin, a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said.
The results, which were published this month, found evidence of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, which are known as "forever chemicals," in as much as a third of the 60 streams in Iowa that the USGS field staff sampled over the course of the past two years.
“Reminder: Despite 23 Republicans voting yes, @RepAshleyHinson & @RepMMM voted against requirements and incentives to limit these 'forever chemicals' that can have negative health effects on humans,” Progress said via Twitter on Oct. 19.
The study was the first of its kind at this scale and was part of a concerted effort to determine how prevalent these harmful chemicals are in streams throughout the state.
“These compounds are definitely out there," Koplin said, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch. "Thirty-two percent of streams. That’s good news that we didn’t find them in every stream, but this is just a starting point.”
The team doesn't know the source of the contaminants quite yet, but they suspect that it originates from rural areas in the state and that livestock waste and biosolids are the likely culprit.
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