AI study uncovers carcinogen in US groundwater, impacting over 71 mn people

According to CCTV News, a new study published in the journal "Science" that utilized an AI model indicates that "permanent chemicals" harmful to human health have contaminated groundwater sources across the United States due to their long-term and widespread use. The affected population could be as high as 71 million to 95 million.

The study focuses on perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can persist in the environment for decades and are commonly linked to cancer, liver and heart damage, and developmental and immune deficiencies in infants and children.

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has introduced new monitoring requirements to address PFAS in large public water systems, these do not cover most smaller water systems or private household wells.

U.S. Geological Survey researchers used a machine learning model known as the "eXtreme Gradient Boosting" algorithm to train on a vast dataset of groundwater samples collected from various well networks between 2019 and 2022. The model was used to estimate the distribution of PFAS in groundwater sources intended for drinking. The findings suggest that between 71 million and 95 million people in the continental U.S. may be using groundwater with detectable levels of PFAS for drinking.

The researchers noted that groundwater contamination is widespread in the U.S., with urban areas, high population densities, and regions with shallow wells particularly vulnerable. Removing PFAS from groundwater is costly, and many household well owners do not test or treat their water sources.

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