It’s not just raindrops that keep falling on our heads, but now also toxic chemicals

Stockholm, Sweden, August 22, 2022 – News from Stockholm University that toxic chemicals linked to liver damage, obesity, female fertility issues, and certain cancers are in rainwater pouring down across much of the planet at levels deemed unsafe marks a new ‘low point in environmental pollution and its threat to human health’ says Swedish water company Bluewater.

“The really scary thing about so-called ‘forever chemicals’ such as PFAS is their extreme persistence, toxicity, and global spread,” said Bengt Rittri, founder and CEO of Stockholm-based Bluewater, a global innovator of market leading water purification solutions. First made in the 1950s, PFAS compounds such as PFOS and PFOA have been used in cookware and textiles as well fire fighting foam and food packaging materials and because they do not break down naturally in the environment, they continually accumulate in the soil and atmosphere.

Published in Environment Science and Technology, the Stockholm University researchers led by environmental science professor Ian Cousins

concluded that ‘ environmental contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) defines a separate planetary boundary and that this boundary has been exceeded.’ They also stated that levels of PFOA and PFOS in rainwater often greatly exceed US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lifetime Drinking Water Health Advisory levels and are often above Environmental Quality Standard for Inland European Union Surface Water.

In the US, the EPA [epa.gov]recently made it official: We’re drinking forever chemicals at levels far worse than previously thought, and no one’s drinking water is safe. EWG estimates that more than 200 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with PFAS. Globally, a study by OrbMedia analyzed both tap water and bottled water in 14 countries and found that over 80% of all samples contained micro-plastics.

Bluewater recently announced a third-party study confirming that its innovative purification technology removes up to 99.99% of microplastics and health-threatening PFAS chemicals such as PFOA, PFOS, PFBA, and PFBS from tap water. Both have been found in municipal water being supplied to homes. “Proving the ability of our water purifiers to remove toxic PFAS is excellent news for anyone worried about forever chemicals in tap water,” said Bluewater’s Bengt Rittri.

Notes to Editors

Of the 60,000 chemicals now in use in the United States, only 97 chemicals and 12 microbial contaminants are currently regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, which was passed 45 years ago, according to the AMA’s Journal of Ethics.

– EWG study ‘Showing PFAS contamination of drinking water far more prevalent than previously reported’, can be read here

- European Environment Agency report on emerging PFAS risks in Europe can be read here

“This Stockholm University study yet again highlights the global threat we all face from plastic pollution, no matter where we live and underlines the urgent need for more scientific research to better understand the environmental contamination and health risks posed by insufficiently monitored chemicals,” said Mr. Rittri.

For more information, please contact Bluewater PR & Communications Director Dave Noble, at +44 7785 302 694 or david.noble@bluewatergoup.com

About Bluewater

Bluewater is a Swedish water and beverages company and international market leader of water purification solutions for homes, businesses, and public vending with sales across Europe, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, the United States. and South Africa. With production facilities in Sweden and China and assembly operations in the United Kingdom, Bluewater also hydrates the world’s leading sporting events, including the British Open.

In 2022, Stockholm-based Bluewater and Denver, Colorado-based FloWater merged to enhance their shared mission of innovating solutions for eliminating single-use plastic water bottles and providing access to safe, ultra-purified and great-tasting drinking water for everyone. Bluewater and FloWater use advanced water purification technology, water refill stations and sustainable bottle solutions to provide a highly clean water; free of heavy metals, ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS), bacteria or viruses, microplastics and other toxins and contaminants.

FloWater, one of the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the US, has installed over 7,500 new-tech FloWater Refill Stations in schools, gyms, offices, hotels and event venues across the US. The FloWater brand has become a popular alternative to plastic water bottles, and has saved over 350 million plastic water bottles from our oceans, lakes and rivers. FloWater’s customers include premier global brands including: Red Bull, Apple, Marriott, Peloton, United Airlines, Warby Parker and Google.

Both Bluewater and FloWater have been honored with Fast Company “World Changing Ideas” awards, and been featured by numerous leading media, including CNN, Forbes, Inc., The Hollywood Reporter, The Financial Times, and The Daily Telegraph.

For additional information, visit www.bluewatergroup.com and www.drinkflowater.com