Perfluoro(3,5,7-trioxaoctanoic) acid (PFO3OA)
Status: No national drinking water standard exists
Perfluoro(3,5,7-trioxaoctanoic) acid (PFO3OA) is a member of a group of perfluorinated chemicals used in many consumer products. PFO3OA and other perfluorinated chemicals can cause serious health effects, including cancer, endocrine disruption, accelerated puberty, liver and immune system damage, and thyroid changes. These chemicals are persistent in the environment and they accumulate in people. Click here to read more about perfluorinated chemicals.
2017-2019:
1
states detected
19
utilities detected
406,000
people served
0
states over health guideline
0
utilities over health guideline
0
people served over health guideline
Health concerns for PFO3OA
Cancer
Harm to the immune system
Hormone disruption
Harm to fetal growth and child development
Harm to the liver
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
EWG Health Guideline 1 ppt
The EWG Health Guideline of 1 ppt for PFO3OA was defined by EWG as based on studies by Phillipe Grandjean of Harvard University and many other independent researchers who found reduced effectiveness of vaccines and adverse impacts on mammary gland development from exposure to PFOA and PFOS, the two PFAS most widely detected in drinking water. This health guideline protects against applies to the entire class of PFAS detected in water.
ppt = parts per trillion
States reporting PFO3OA in drinking water
| UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Utilities | People Served | |
| North Carolina | 19 | 405,998 | |
Filtering technologies that reduce PFO3OA
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Utilities with the highest amounts of PFO3OA, 2017-2019
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrightsville Beach Water System | Wrightsville Beach, NC | 1 of 1 | 69.6 ppt | 6,380 |
| Pender County Utilities | Burgaw, NC | 1 of 1 | 15.4 ppt | 24,236 |
| Town of Oak Island | Oak Island, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 23,635 |
| Town of Navassa - Phoenix | Navassa, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 71 |
| Leland, Town of | Leland, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 5,662 |
| Navassa, Town of-cedar Hill Annex | Navassa, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 25 |
| Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2go | Leland, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 28,488 |
| Navassa, Town of | Navassa, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 747 |
| Holden Beach, Town of | Holden Beach, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 6,212 |
| Brunswick County Water System* | Bolivia, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 100,694 |
| Ocean Isle Beach, Town of* | Ocean Isle Beach, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 7,216 |
| Shallotte, Town of | Shallotte, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 5,862 |
| Southport, City of | City Of Southport, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 6,447 |
| Bladen Bluffs Water System | Tarheel, NC | 1 of 1 | 10.7 ppt | 4,589 |
| Cape Fear Public Utility Authority - Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | 5 of 11 | 5.38 ppt | 153,202 |
| Oyster Point S/d | Wilmington, NC | 1 of 1 | 5.00 ppt | 99 |
| Cape Fear Public Utility Authority - New Hanover County* | Wilmington, NC | 1 of 1 | 5.00 ppt | 29,052 |
| The Village of Bald Head Island | Bald Head Island, NC | 1 of 1 | 3.30 ppt | 3,291 |
| College View Mobile Home Park | Wilmington, NC | 4 of 4 | 2.52 ppt | 90 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Perfluoro(3,5,7-trioxaoctanoic) acid (PFO3OA), but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pender County Utilities | Burgaw, NC | 1 of 1 | 15.4 ppt | 24,236 |
| Town of Oak Island | Oak Island, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 23,635 |
| Brunswick County Water System* | Bolivia, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 100,694 |
| Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2go | Leland, NC | 1 of 1 | 14.0 ppt | 28,488 |
| Cape Fear Public Utility Authority - Wilmington | Wilmington, NC | 5 of 11 | 5.38 ppt | 153,202 |
| Cape Fear Public Utility Authority - New Hanover County* | Wilmington, NC | 1 of 1 | 5.00 ppt | 29,052 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Perfluoro(3,5,7-trioxaoctanoic) acid (PFO3OA), but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.