{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","slug":"us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","url":"https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","title":"US drinking water PFAS levels may be double reported amounts","subtitle":"New study uses computer models to estimate undercounted 'forever chemicals' in water systems.","excerpt":"A new study suggests US drinking water may contain twice the reported levels of PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals'. Researchers used computer models to analyze EPA data, finding current reporting methods capture only 44% of average concentrations for 25 PFAS chemicals.","category":"Health","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-24T04:45:43.215Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-23T22:07:03.809Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-24T04:45:43.215Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":70,"critic":70,"hype":45,"notes":{"trust":"The central claim is attributed to a named body (researchers) and corroborated by multiple independent outlets.","critic":"The reporting clearly separates the study's findings from its limitations and quotes the lead author.","hype":"The headline uses strong language like 'double' and 'vastly under-reporting' but is supported by the study's estimates."}},"tags":["#PFAS","#WaterQuality","#EnvironmentalHealth","#EPA","#ForeverChemicals"],"entities":["US","PFAS","EPA","Gehendra Kharel","Texas Christian University"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["US drinking water could contain double the reported levels of PFAS, according to a new study.","Researchers used computer models to analyze EPA data on PFAS concentrations in community water systems.","Current reporting methods may capture only 44% of the average concentration of 25 PFAS chemicals.","The study's lead author stated the research examines how measurements are summarized, not that every below-limit result poses a health risk."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"US drinking water may contain twice the amount of PFAS, commonly known as 'forever chemicals', than is currently reported, a new study estimates. Researchers employed computer models to analyze data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning PFAS concentrations in community water systems. The study suggests that current reporting practices, which often treat levels below minimum reporting thresholds as zero, capture only 44% of the average concentration of 25 specific PFAS chemicals."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, public water systems are required by the EPA to monitor 29 PFAS chemicals. These substances are known for their persistence in the environment and have been linked to various health issues. The study's lead author, Gehendra Kharel of Texas Christian University, explained that the research focuses on how measurements are summarized and does not claim that every result below the reporting limit indicates a health risk."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on reporting methods"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The study, published in Cell Reports Sustainability, used computer models to estimate PFAS concentrations for records listed as below the minimum reporting level (MRL). Phys.org reported that the models generated 500 estimates for each below-limit value, which were then averaged. The study found that treating these below-limit results as zero meant that current reports captured only 44% of the estimated average concentration of 25 PFAS across 9,991 community water systems. The EPA has set legally enforceable limits for six PFAS, but the study's model estimated that the national average concentration for these six chemicals could be 5.2 nanograms per liter, compared to the reported average of 2.6 nanograms per liter when below-limit results are counted as zero."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left-rated digests mention the specific journal in which the study was published, Cell Reports Sustainability. The right-rated digest does not mention the specific percentage of average concentration captured by current reporting methods (44%) or the number of PFAS chemicals analyzed (25)."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"The Washington Post","url":"https://washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/10/23/drinking-water-may-have-much-more-forever-chemicals-than-epa-reports","headline":"Drinking water may have much more ‘forever chemicals’ than EPA reports","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T22:07:03.809Z"},{"sourceName":"dailymail.com","url":"https://dailymail.com/health/article-16233203/us-drinking-water-forever-chemicals-pfas.html","headline":"US water may contain twice as many 'forever chemicals' as reported","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T16:54:30.000Z"},{"sourceName":"thenewlede.org","url":"https://thenewlede.org/2026/10/epa-could-be-vastly-under-reporting-pfas-levels-in-drinking-water-study-finds","headline":"EPA could be vastly under-reporting PFAS levels in drinking water, study finds","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:45:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Gizmodo","url":"https://gizmodo.com/forever-chemical-levels-in-us-drinking-water-may-be-more-than-twice-as-high-as-reported-2000829638","headline":"Forever Chemical Levels in US Drinking Water May Be More Than Twice as High as Reported","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:02:14.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Phys.org","url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pfas.html","headline":"US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:00:04.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Inside Climate News","url":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23102026/pfas-contamination-in-drinking-water-may-be-underestimated-new-study-suggests","headline":"PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water May Be Underestimated, New Study ...","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T12:15:50.960Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":67,"centre":16,"right":17},"count":{"left":4,"centre":1,"right":1},"totalSources":6,"untracked":0,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-10-24T04:30:25.918674+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-24T05:00:21.352Z","closedAt":null,"checks":1,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The left-rated reports led with the potential underestimation of PFAS levels in US drinking water. The Washington Post's headline stated that drinking water \"may have much more 'forever chemicals' than EPA reports.\" Gizmodo's headline also highlighted that levels \"may be more than twice as high as reported.\" The newlede.org digest noted that the study used computer modeling to estimate that EPA reports capture only 44% of the average combined concentration of 25 PFAS in US water systems. All three left-rated digests mentioned that current reporting methods could be creating a significant knowledge gap by only counting PFAS levels above minimum reporting thresholds."],"centre":["The centre-rated report from Phys.org led with the headline \"US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates.\" The full report detailed how common ways of reporting PFAS could underestimate concentrations by as much as half. It explained that by counting levels below minimum reporting levels as zero, current reports capture only 44% of the average concentration of 25 PFAS. The report also included a quote from the study's first author, Gehendra Kharel, clarifying that the research examines how measurements are summarized and does not establish that every below-limit result poses a health risk."],"right":["The right-rated digest from dailymail.com stated in its headline that \"US water may contain twice as many 'forever chemicals' as reported.\" The digest also mentioned that the study comes from researchers at Texas Christian University and suggests that drinking water in America may contain twice as many forever chemicals as health agencies report."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":null,"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"high":4,"veryHigh":2},"ownershipDistribution":{"billionaire":1,"independent":1,"corporation":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Inside Climate News","url":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23102026/pfas-contamination-in-drinking-water-may-be-underestimated-new-study-suggests","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T12:15:50.960Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"Inside Climate News","url":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23102026/pfas-contamination-in-drinking-water-may-be-underestimated-new-study-suggests","headline":"PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water May Be Underestimated, New Study ...","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T12:15:50.960Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Phys.org","url":"https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pfas.html","headline":"US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:00:04.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Gizmodo","url":"https://gizmodo.com/forever-chemical-levels-in-us-drinking-water-may-be-more-than-twice-as-high-as-reported-2000829638","headline":"Forever Chemical Levels in US Drinking Water May Be More Than Twice as High as Reported","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:02:14.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"thenewlede.org","url":"https://thenewlede.org/2026/10/epa-could-be-vastly-under-reporting-pfas-levels-in-drinking-water-study-finds","headline":"EPA could be vastly under-reporting PFAS levels in drinking water, study finds","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:45:00.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"dailymail.com","url":"https://dailymail.com/health/article-16233203/us-drinking-water-forever-chemicals-pfas.html","headline":"US water may contain twice as many 'forever chemicals' as reported","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T16:54:30.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Washington Post","url":"https://washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/10/23/drinking-water-may-have-much-more-forever-chemicals-than-epa-reports","headline":"Drinking water may have much more ‘forever chemicals’ than EPA reports","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T22:07:03.809Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"US drinking water PFAS levels may be double reported amounts\", https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/health/us-drinking-water-pfas-levels-may-be-double-reported-amounts.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}