Testing around Montana's Flathead Lake turned up several kinds of PFAS, which are also known as "forever chemicals." While this doesn't spell immediate danger, researchers are still calling for more testing across Montana, Montana Public Radio reported.
What happened?
According to Flathead Lake Biostation Director Jim Elser, as reported by MPR, initial sampling in the Flathead Lake area found multiple PFAS. Three kinds were at levels that were high enough for the lab to report.
Alarmingly, however, the substances subject to legal benchmarks did not exceed levels associated with impaired drinking water quality.
PFAS have also recently been found in Fort Peck Reservoir and in the East Gallatin, Missouri, and Clark Fork rivers.
For Elser, a clean result would have been the best-case scenario.
"My hope was that we wouldn't find anything, that we won't detect anything, really," he said.
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Instead, the results seem to contribute to a pattern that experts say likely extends beyond the locations already sampled. Researchers cited a national study that counted about 2,200 verified PFAS sites and more than 80,000 additional suspected sites.
Why does it matter?
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large class of human-made chemicals often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they can persist in the environment for long periods.
They have been used in products like nonstick cookware and firefighting foam.
The primary human health concern is more about exposure that continues and accumulates over time.
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Jamie DeWitt, who studies PFAS impacts on human health at Oregon State University, spoke about sustained exposure at a recent panel hosted by Montana Environmental Information Center.
"If you have a continuation of exposure, there is the potential for PFAS to build up in your blood over time, and when PFAS build up in blood, that increases the likelihood that they're going to interact with molecules within your body to produce adverse health outcomes," she explained.
What's being done about it?
Elser said the Flathead Lake results can help draw attention to the issue and identify where PFAS are showing up around Montana.
"This is more about raising awareness than raising alarm," he noted.
A big reason surveys have lagged is that PFAS testing is both costly and technically demanding. Elser said expensive equipment, limited access to labs, and staff shortages have constrained researchers and facilities.
That means any larger institutional response will likely depend first on expanding testing capacity and establishing better baseline data.
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