Beers brewed in some parts of North Carolina contain a high level of forever chemicals due to contaminated water near the Cape Fear River Basin, according to a recent study conducted by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI).

The two beers with the highest variety of PFAS were from the upper Cape Fear River Basin in Chatham and Alamance counties, where the Haw River’s surface waters exhibit greater PFAS type variability and higher concentrations.

“As an occasional beer drinker myself, I wondered whether PFAS in water supplies was making its way into our pints,” said Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, lead study researcher and senior director of environmental health and water quality at RTI International. “Our research shows that PFAS in water supplies has trickledown effects on what’s in our beverages. I hope these findings support treatment strategies and policies so future happy hours are also relatively healthier ones.”

PFAS were detected in most beers, particularly from smaller breweries near contaminated water sources, RTI International outlined in a press release. The study, published in April, is titled “Hold My Beer: The Linkage between Municipal Water and Brewing.”

Forever chemicals, known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are used in products such as water-resistant clothing, shampoo, and nonstick cookware for their powerful hydrogen-carbon-fluorine bonds, which are almost impossible to break. With PFAS linked to serious health risks like cancer and developmental issues, recent legislative efforts have sought to fund further research, testing, and water treatments.

SEE ALSO: Invisible Threats: PFAS and the push for policy reform in North Carolina

In the new report, researchers examined how PFAS-contaminated water sources, such as the Cape Fear River Basin, end up in beverages like beer, which contains water as the main component. The findings ultimately showed a link between PFAS levels in beer and a brewery’s water source.

The circles in the map to the right show the brewing locations of beers that were purchased and tested for PFAS. Researchers purchased 23 canned beer types in North Carolina stores in August 2021 and analyzed them for their long — and short-chain PFAS compounds.

The study found that beers with the highest number of different PFAS detected were produced within the Cape Fear River Basin, which has become a PFAS hotspot due to industrial activity. North Carolina beers typically showed more PFAS compounds than beers from Michigan or California, other states examined in the study.

In particular, Chatham and Alamance counties, located in the upper Cape Fear River Basin along the Haw River, showed significant variability and higher concentrations of PFAS in surface waters.

Hoponick Redmon told the Carolina Journal that consumers can reduce their potential exposure to PFAS in beer and other beverages by taking several steps.

“They can check water quality reports from local public water utilities to assess PFAS levels, select beers from regions with lower PFAS presence, drink in moderation, and stay informed about treatment updates for municipal water or beverage source water,” she said. “For water supplies with PFAS, this means filtering water at the treatment plant or at the brewery. Additionally, preventing PFAS from entering water supplies would reduce the likelihood of PFAS in a future pour.”

The Carolina Journal reached out to the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild (NCCBG) but did not receive a response.

In recent months, lawmakers in North Carolina’s House and Senate have been grappling with how to respond to PFAS contamination in the state’s rivers. The Senate’s latest budget proposal takes steps toward addressing the issue in the state legislature, including $110 million over the two-year biennium to create the PFAS Mitigation Fund. The budget also allocates $6 million over the biennium to the NC Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill for PFAS research.

SEE ALSO: With forever chemicals in focus, NC lawmakers boost PFAS funding

Though the House has not yet released its budget proposal, House committees have recently heard from experts on the impacts of PFAS. Legislators discussed House Bill 569, titled PFAS Pollution and Polluter Liability, that would address contamination into water sources that go into a public utility. Legislators have also been briefed on new technology from a Burlington-based company to eliminate PFAS in water supplies. The efforts remain pending in the General Assembly.