PFAS ("forever chemicals") · 2024
PFOS in Winston Salem, NC tap water
Winston Salem, NC's 2024 PFOS measurement is below the federal limit of 4 ng/L (MCL).
The measurement
| Statistic | Value | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
Range System-wide | 0–3.1 ng/L | 4 ng/L MCL |
Average System-wide | 1.68 ng/L | 4 ng/L MCL |
Verbatim from Winston Salem, NC's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report — source document ↗
About PFOS
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a PFAS 'forever chemical' once used in firefighting foam and coatings.
Linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
How Winston Salem, NC compares
2 of the 5 NC systems measuring PFOS on The Water Map have it at or above the federal limit:
Nearby systems also reporting PFOS:
People also ask
+Is there PFOS in Winston Salem, NC tap water?
Yes — Winston Salem, NC's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report lists PFOS at 1.68 ng/L. Winston Salem, NC's 2024 PFOS measurement is below the federal limit of 4 ng/L (MCL).
+What's the federal limit for PFOS in drinking water?
The federal MCL for PFOS is 4 ng/L. The EPA enforces this against the regulated reporting statistic (running annual average or 90th percentile), not a single-sample spike.
+What is PFOS?
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a PFAS 'forever chemical' once used in firefighting foam and coatings. Linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and immune effects; the EPA set an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion.
+Which other U.S. cities have PFOS over the federal limit?
2 of the 5 NC systems on The Water Map measuring PFOS report it at or above the federal limit. Examples include Fayetteville, NC, Greensboro, NC.
+Where does this PFOS measurement come from?
This page reproduces the PFOS entry from the 2024 Consumer Confidence Report published by the Winston Salem, NC water utility — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. utility is required by federal law to publish. The original source document is archived at /water/nc/winston-salem/2024/source.