If potentially health-harming, nonstick “forever chemicals” PFAS are in a brewery’s water supply, they tend to end up in its beer, a 2025 study has found. And though the study doesn’t name the beers it tested or their brewers, it found high levels of some PFAS compounds in beers from Kalamazoo and Kent counties in Michigan, among other places in the Midwest.
“We found if there is PFAS in the drinking water that the brewery is using that there tends to be PFAS in the beer that consumers are drinking, unless there is advanced filtration that’s happening like reverse osmosis or activated carbon − which is not happening in a lot of cases at this time,” said Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, the study’s lead author.
Redmon is senior director of the environmental health and water quality program at RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research organization based in North Carolina focused “on science-based solutions to help human health and the environment.”
Some 23 different beers were studied, primarily plain lagers and ales from each company or brewery for consistency and because lighter beers were less onerous to prepare, clean and analyze with laboratory equipment. Researchers evaluated for the presence of 17 different PFAS compounds in beer using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency method for measuring PFAS in drinking water.
As the study’s focus was to examine the potential connection between PFAS in a municipal water supply and in beer using that same water, no attempt was made to evaluate all beers or breweries in the areas examined, Redmon said. RTI tested two beers in Michigan, and as with the other beers examined, samples were taken from each beer in a full six-pack to look at variation within the six-pack.
Where were beers produced with the highest PFOAs in the Midwest?
The highest levels were found in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Of all the beers studied nationwide, the one with the highest concentration of PFOA, one of the longest-used and most understood PFAS compounds, came from a brewery in Kalamazoo County, at 8.374 parts per trillion. The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), for PFOA in U.S. drinking water is 4 parts per trillion, set by the EPA last year.
A public water system with PFOA levels above the MCL would be required to take action to reduce levels, though the Donald Trump Administration earlier this year moved to extend the compliance deadline for PFOA and another common PFAS compound, PFOS, by two years, from 2029 to 2031.
PFOA contamination in Kalamazoo County arose from industrial processes at former manufacturing sites, plastics facilities, a former Roto-Finish mechanical parts polishing site, and the Allied Paper plant that processed food-wrap paper. The compounds were discharged into the municipal wastewater systems from these industrial operations and are now found in the Kalamazoo River and groundwater.
Did other Michigan-produced beer have high PFAS levels?
Yes, in Kent County, Michigan.
The study found that a beer from Kent County had the highest concentration of PFAS compound PFBS. The former Wolverine Worldwide footwear company in that county for years used PFAS compounds in its ScotchGard water protectants, and dumped PFAS-laden tannery sludges and wastes into unlined landfills, ultimately leading to contamination of local groundwater and the Rogue River that has prompted ongoing cleanups by the company in consultation with state and federal environmental regulators.
According to the report, Michigan counties generally had lower PFAS levels in drinking water than were observed in North Carolina and California, however.
Did any Wisconsin-produced beer show high PFAS levels?
Yes, Milwaukee County was found to have elevated PFAS levels, but lower than the two Michigan counties.
Samples of beer from St. Louis County, Missouri, were also found with higher levels. The largest number of PFAS compounds were detected in beer from Chatham County, North Carolina, and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (both areas with PFAS in municipal drinking water), and a beer from St. Louis County, Missouri.
Did any beer show a completely clear PFAS test?
All told, PFAS compounds showed up in 11 of 19 beers studied in a phase of the research that only looked at one sample from each beer; and showed up in 13 of the 15 beers sampled in a phase where five different cans of the beer were tested.
“One of the five popular national beers and one of three international beers contained detectable PFAS,” the study found.
At least 18% of breweries operating in the U.S. are in areas with detected PFAS in municipal water, the researchers found.
How do PFAS get into food and drinks?
From the mid-20th century to today, PFAS was used in a host of industrial and consumer products, from firefighting foam to nonstick, Teflon pots and pans; Gore-Tex waterproof clothing; ScotchGard stain and water protectants, and even sandwich wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and dental floss. Scientists now, however, understand the chemicals’ persistence, and the compounds have been linked to health problems including cancer, thyroid and liver disorders, and more.
“These compounds are lingering in our environment even though some of them are not being used in commerce today like they were back in the early 2000s and before,” Redmon said.
Chuck Skypeck is technical brewing projects director for the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade group based in Boulder, Colorado, representing America’s more than 9,000 breweries. In a blog post, he alerted fellow brewers to the PFAS detections in beer found in the RTI International study.
“Due to the ‘forever’ nature of PFAS compounds, this chemical contamination is not an issue unique to the brewing industry,” he said.
Breweries should check with their municipal or private water suppliers to see if the water meets EPA allowable limits for the compounds, or, if using well water, test their wells for the compounds, Skypeck said. He also recommended reverse osmosis and carbon filtration systems.
“Common filtration methods used in breweries can, when systems are well maintained, help minimize PFAS contamination,” he said.
There are more than 16,000 PFAS compounds, and virtually no scientific research has been conducted on most, Redmon said.
RTI recommends consumers examine whether brewers state that they filter their water, check annual municipal water quality reports, and consider supporting brews taking the extra steps to filter their water at heightened expense.
“And then from a consumer perspective, PFAS are in our environment and in our beer because we also use PFAS in our consumer products,” Redmon said. “Consider your purchases when buying things — if something says it’s stain resistant or water repellent, it’s likely to contain PFAS unless it particularly states that it does not.”
Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hold my beer: Study finds ‘forever chemicals’ showing up in beer produced in the Midwest
Reporting by Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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