Video: Is Your Drinking Water Really Safe?

November 08, 2025

Transcript

PFAS “Forever Chemicals”: What You Need to Know About the Next Big Toxic Tort

PFAS—often called “forever chemicals”—are in drinking water, household products, cosmetics, and even our bloodstreams. On a recent episode of Justice Served TV, hosts Michael Bryant and Linda Kenney Baden sat down with attorney Tracy Paulsen of Rightful Legal to talk about PFAS exposure, the health risks, and the massive wave of litigation now underway across the United States.

Tracy represents individuals and families in PFAS cases nationwide and explains why these chemicals are so dangerous, where they’re hiding, and what legal options may be available to people who’ve been harmed.

What Are PFAS?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—a group of roughly 12,000 man-made chemicals.

• Developed in the 1940s
• Created for their resistance to heat, oil, and water
• Designed to be extremely durable—which is also what makes them so dangerous

PFAS are made up of strong carbon–fluorine bonds. Those bonds don’t break down easily in the environment or the human body, which is why PFAS are often called “forever chemicals.”

Where Are PFAS Found?

According to Tracy, PFAS are used in everyday products most people would never suspect, including:

• Non-stick cookware (like pans treated with Teflon-type coatings)
• AFFF firefighting foam (used by firefighters and the military)
• Military operations and training exercises
• Industrial processes
• Possibly even in dental floss
• Women’s makeup and cosmetics
• Water-resistant textiles – outdoor gear, jackets, furniture fabric, carpet, and more

Over time, PFAS from these products and industrial uses leach into soil and water, contaminating:

• Groundwater
• Aquifers
• Surface water
• Ultimately: drinking water supplies

For everyday people, the number one exposure route is drinking water.

Occupational Exposure: Firefighters & Military Bases

In addition to general public exposure through water, Tracy explains that some groups face extremely high levels of PFAS exposure:

• Firefighters using AFFF firefighting foam
• Service members and workers on military bases where AFFF and other PFAS-containing products were heavily used

These are classic occupational exposure situations, often involving PFAS levels far exceeding what the general public encounters from tap water alone.

The Dark Waters Connection & DuPont

The movie “Dark Waters” (starring Mark Ruffalo) is based on real-life litigation involving DuPont and a legacy PFAS chemical known as PFOA, historically used in the manufacture of Teflon.

Key points Tracy highlights:

• In 1998, attorney Rob Bilott began investigating DuPont’s use of PFOA.
• A class action lawsuit was filed in 2001.
• DuPont ultimately settled for $70 million.
• As part of the settlement, a large scientific study called the C8 panel was created.
• The C8 panel studied about 69,000 people in West Virginia living near a DuPont plant to determine how PFOA affected their health over time.

From this research came some of the most important early scientific evidence linking PFAS exposure to serious disease.

Why PFAS Are So Dangerous

Tracy explains two core problems that make PFAS uniquely harmful:

1. They don’t break down (persistence).
   • PFAS remain in the environment indefinitely.
   • What makes them “great” industrial chemicals also makes them a long-term environmental and public health nightmare.
2. They build up in the body (bioaccumulation).
   • Even low-level exposure over time can cause the chemicals to accumulate in your blood and organs faster than your body can eliminate them.
   • PFAS particularly accumulate in the kidneys, thyroid, and liver.

PFAS exposure is often a “latency” problem, similar to asbestos:
You may be exposed today and not develop a related disease for 5 to 40 years.

Health Conditions Linked to PFAS Exposure

Based on the C8 science panel and related research, PFAS exposure—especially PFOA—has been linked to a “probable connection” with several serious conditions, including:

• Kidney cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Liver cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Thyroid disease
• Ulcerative colitis

These specific illnesses are the core injuries in many of the current personal injury lawsuits and AFFF/firefighter cases in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL).

Does Everyone Have PFAS in Their Blood?

Shockingly, yes—almost everyone.

Tracy explains:

• Every human being on Earth is believed to have some level of PFAS in their blood.
• PFAS has been detected in the Arctic, on the highest mountains, and in people who have never lived near a factory or polluted site.
• It’s estimated that around 99% of Americans have PFAS in their bloodstream.

Typical PFAS blood levels:

• Low exposure: around 1–2 nanograms per milliliter
• People living near contaminated industrial sites: 10–20 nanograms, sometimes far higher
• Some individuals have been measured up to 100 nanograms or more

Even low levels over long periods of time can contribute to PFAS-related disease.

Is There a Blood Test for PFAS?

There is a blood test, but it’s not simple or cheap:

• It measures PFAS levels in nanograms in your blood.
• Insurance typically will not pay for this test.
• Most primary-care doctors won’t order it unless you live in a recognized “hot spot” area.
• Private PFAS panels can cost around $600–$1,000.

For many people, the cost and lack of insurance coverage make PFAS blood testing difficult to access.

EPA Standards: How Much PFAS Is “Safe”?

Tracy’s answer is blunt:

There is no safe level of PFAS exposure. Zero is safest.

Still, regulators have tried to set legal limits for drinking water:

• Around 2016, the EPA suggested a 70 parts per trillion (ppt) guideline for certain PFAS in public drinking water.
• As science evolved, it became clear that 70 ppt was far too high.
• The two main “legacy” PFAS chemicals of concern are:
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
    Both were heavily produced/used by 3M and DuPont.

In 2024, the Biden administration implemented a much stricter standard:

• Public water systems should not exceed 4 parts per trillion for certain PFAS.
• For perspective, Tracy explains that 4 ppt is roughly equivalent to four drops of water in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools.

That’s how little PFAS is considered “acceptable”—which underscores how toxic these chemicals are.

She also notes that in 2025, the new administration rescinded federal limits on several of the PFAS chemicals that had been slated for tighter regulation, including some short-chain compounds like GenX, complicating the regulatory landscape again.

PFOA, PFOS, GenX & “Short-Chain” PFAS

PFAS isn’t just one chemical—it’s a family.

• PFOA and PFOS are “legacy” long-chain PFAS that stay in the environment and the human body for a long time.
• GenX is a short-chain PFAS compound that has been used as a replacement for PFOA in some products.

Short-chain PFAS:

• Tend not to remain in your body as long as long-chain compounds
• But they are more mobile in the environment, spreading through soil and water more easily
• Are still highly toxic
• Are less studied and often harder to filter out of water

“PFAS-Free” & Greenwashing

Just because a product says “PFOA-free” or even “PFAS-free” doesn’t mean it’s truly safe.

Tracy explains “greenwashing” as:

• Misleading marketing that makes a product sound safer or more eco-friendly than it really is.
• For example, a fabric might not contain PFAS on the final surface, but PFAS could still be used in the manufacturing process to create the water-resistant material, leaving residual contamination.

Consumers are often left with a false sense of security, believing they’re avoiding PFAS when they may not be.

How Can PFAS Be Removed From Water?

Water systems (and some homes) can use specialized treatment methods to reduce PFAS levels:

• Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
  • PFAS sticks to the carbon.
  • The contaminated carbon must then be handled and disposed of—which raises its own environmental challenges.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO)
  • PFAS is trapped in a membrane filter.
  • RO is considered up to about 99% effective at removing many harmful PFAS compounds.
• Ion Exchange
  • Another advanced method used in some treatment systems.

These technologies are costly and complex, but they are increasingly being implemented in water treatment plants and can also be installed in homes (especially point-of-use systems at the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water).

Can You Test Your Home’s Water for PFAS?

There is no simple at-home PFAS test strip you can buy off the shelf yet.

To test for PFAS in your water:

• You generally need to hire a certified lab or environmental testing company.
• They collect a sample and use specialized equipment to measure PFAS levels.
• It can be expensive and is not something most people routinely do.

If you are on municipal water, your town or local water authority:

• Should be testing for PFAS
• Should be publishing those results (often annually) on its website
• You can look up the PFAS levels and see if they exceed state or federal standards

If you have a private well, Tracy strongly recommends individual testing—especially if you live near:

• Industrial sites
• Airports
• Military bases
• Areas known for heavy firefighting foam use

Is Bottled Water Safer?

The answer: it depends.

• Some bottled water brands have measurable levels of PFAS; others are marketed as extremely low or “zero PFAS.”
• You may need to research individual brands to see if they have published PFAS testing data.
• Even if the water is low in PFAS, there are still concerns about plastic packaging and other contaminants.

Some “premium” or exotic waters marketed as ultra-pure may have lower PFAS levels—but they tend to be very expensive, and most consumers simply aren’t in a position to verify the claims.

The PFAS MDL: Current Litigation

Because PFAS contamination is so widespread, many cases have been combined into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in federal court.

Key points Tracy shares:

• Around 2019–2020, PFAS lawsuits were centralized into an MDL in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
• Judge Gergel is overseeing PFAS cases involving:
  • Water municipalities (public water systems)
  • AFFF firefighting foam exposure (firefighters and others)
  • Property damage claims
  • Individual personal injury cases tied to contaminated water

In 2023, the water supplier cases saw one of the largest class action settlements in U.S. history:

• 3M agreed to pay over $10 billion to help water systems around the country clean PFAS out of drinking water.

The personal injury cases—individual people who developed diseases like kidney or testicular cancer—are the “next wave” moving forward.

• The simplified process for new MDL filings closed in September.
• The first bellwether trials (test cases) were scheduled for October but have been pushed to early winter (no firm date yet).
• Those trials will focus on kidney cancer and testicular cancer cases and will help shape the value and strategy of future claims.

Can New PFAS Cases Still Be Filed?

Yes—but with more hurdles.

Tracy explains that:

• People can still contact her and potentially bring PFAS claims.
• However, for new filings in the MDL, requirements have become stricter, including:
  • Needing your own expert witnesses rather than relying on shared experts
  • Significantly higher costs for law firms to develop each case

Because of this, some firms may be less willing to take certain PFAS cases going forward, especially where damages, exposure history, or medical proof are more complex.

That said, Tracy expects:

• As bellwether trials go forward, more cases may open up in state courts.
• There could be new opportunities for people with qualifying exposure and illnesses to pursue justice outside the MDL structure.

Are We Making Progress?

Despite the frightening reality of PFAS contamination, Tracy sees reasons for hope:

• Public awareness is much higher now than it was even five years ago.
• Major corporations like 3M and DuPont have phased out PFOA and some older PFAS compounds.
• Some states are taking the lead with stronger regulations. For example:
  • States like Maine are moving toward eliminating PFAS from non-essential products by 2030.
• The European Union is also considering sweeping PFAS bans and restrictions.

Most importantly, civil lawsuits are forcing companies to confront the harm they’ve caused:

Holding corporations accountable for putting profits over people is one of the most powerful tools we have to create real change.

How Attorney Tracy Paulsen Can Help

Attorney Tracy Paulsen of Rightful Legal is based in Massachusetts but handles PFAS litigation across the United States.

She helps:

• People who’ve drunk contaminated water from public systems or private wells
• Firefighters, military personnel, and workers exposed through AFFF and industrial uses
• Individuals diagnosed with conditions like:
  • Kidney cancer
  • Testicular cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Thyroid disease
  • Ulcerative colitis

If you believe you’ve been harmed by PFAS, or you’ve been diagnosed with one of these illnesses after long-term exposure to contaminated water, you can reach out to Tracy to:

• Discuss your exposure history
• Review your medical condition
• Learn whether you may have a potential claim

You can find her and learn more at Rightful Legal:
rightfullegal.com

Tracy’s mission—on Justice Served TV and in her law practice—is to educate the public, hold corporations accountable, and fight for families whose lives have been impacted by PFAS.

If you’re worried about PFAS in your water, your home, or your body, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it alone.