Disproportionate Impact of PFAS on Marginalized Communities
Some Recent Findings
1. National Study
PFAS exposure disproportionately affects communities with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents, largely due to their geographic proximity to PFAS-emitting sites such as airports, military bases, and industrial facilities. These locations frequently use materials containing PFASs, particularly AFFF. Runoff from these areas facilitates the migration of PFASs into local water supplies, leading to elevated concentrations in drinking water. Low-income urban neighborhoods, especially those with high proportions of racial and ethnic minorities, are frequently situated in close proximity to industrial facilities and waste disposal sites known to release PFASs. For example, communities in Ohio and West Virginia have documented elevated PFAS concentrations in local water sources. These populations already experience significant socioeconomic and health disparities, and the added burden of PFAS exposure further compounds these inequities, highlighting critical environmental justice concerns.
Research indicates that Black and Hispanic/Latino communities are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be exposed to unsafe PFAS levels compared to predominantly white communities. Liddie et al. conducted a multi-state analysis and found that each 1% increase in the proportion of non-Hispanic Black residents in a community was associated with a 6–9% higher likelihood of nearby PFAS-emitting facilities. Similarly, Hispanic populations experienced a 3–6% greater risk. In rural areas, PFAS contamination risk rose by 10% for each additional percent of the population living in poverty [20].
—Sukhram SD, Kim J, Musovic S, Anidugbe A, Corte E, Ahsan T, Rofail S, Mesquita N, Padilla M. PFAS Exposure, Mental Health, and Environmental Justice in the United States: Impacts on Marginalized Communities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Jul 15;22(7):1116. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22071116. PMID: 40724183; PMCID: PMC12295872.
Drinking water contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a widespread public health concern, and exposure–response relationships are known to vary across sociodemographic groups. However, research on disparities in drinking water PFAS exposures and the siting of PFAS sources in marginalized communities is limited. Here, we use monitoring data from 7873 U.S. community water systems (CWS) in 18 states to show that PFAS detection is positively associated with the number of PFAS sources and proportions of people of color who are served by these water systems. Each additional industrial facility, military fire training area, and airport in a CWS watershed was associated with a 10–108% increase in perfluorooctanoic acid and a 20–34% increase in perfluorooctane sulfonic acid in drinking water. Waste sector sources were also significantly associated with drinking water PFAS concentrations. CWS watersheds with PFAS sources served higher proportions of Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic Black residents compared to those without PFAS sources. CWS serving higher proportions of Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic Black residents had significantly increased odds of detecting several PFAS. This likely reflects disparities in the siting of PFAS contamination sources. Results of this work suggest that addressing environmental justice concerns should be a component of risk mitigation planning for areas affected by drinking water PFAS contamination.
—Jahred M. Liddie, Laurel A. Schaider, and Elsie M. Sociodemographic Factors Are Associated with- the Abundance of PFAS Sources and Detection in U.S. Community Water Systems, SunderlandEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2023 57 (21), 7902-7912DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07255
2. New Jersey Study
We find that 63% of all CWSs tested by NJDEP from 2019 to 2021 had PFAS detections in public drinking water, collectively serving 84% of NJ’s population receiving water from CWSs. Additionally, CWSs serving OBCs had a statistically significant higher likelihood of PFAS detection and a higher likelihood of exposure above state MCLs. We also find that a larger proportion of people of color lived in CWS service areas with PFAS detections compared to the non-Hispanic white population.
Eighty-four percent of the total population tested by NJDEP was served by CWSs that had PFAS detections, 72% were served by CWSs that had PFAS detections above the EPA’s proposed MCLs, and 33% were served by CWSs that had PFAS detections above at least one NJ MCL. Ninety-two percent of the Hispanic population, 94% of the Black population, and 95% of the Asian population were served by CWSs that had PFAS detections, compared to 76% of the non-Hispanic white population.
—Mueller R, Salvatore D, Brown P, Cordner A. Quantifying Disparities in Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Levels in Drinking Water from Overburdened Communities in New Jersey, 2019-2021. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Apr;132(4):47011. doi: 10.1289/EHP12787. Epub 2024 Apr 24. PMID: 38656167; PMCID: PMC11041625.