Industrial Laundry Effluent from Treated Workwear Overloads POTWs with PFAS

When commercial laundry cycles wash industrial work clothes that have been treated with chemicals, they release PFAS into wastewater systems

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - Wastewater treatment plant operators all around the country are starting to notice something strange: levels of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, are rising in effluent streams, and it looks like industrial laundries are one of the reasons why. PFAS are often used to make work clothes in the oil, gas, firefighting, and chemical sectors water- and flame-resistant. When you wash these clothes, especially a lot of them, the chemicals wash off and go down the drain into municipal wastewater systems. Most publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) can't filter out PFAS; thus, these chemicals go through the systems and wind up in rivers, lakes, or drinking water sources downstream. This is making PFAS water cancer lawyers more worried that cities and towns harmed by the contamination may someday file PFAS water cancer lawsuits against industrial laundries or uniform manufacturers. Some industrial laundries have made small efforts to cut down on PFAS leaks, but most still release water that hasn't been treated or has only been lightly treated, sending pollution far beyond their boundaries.

A report from the U.S. in 2024 said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that commercial laundries can release PFAS, especially when they wash uniforms that have been coated with oil- and water-repelling chemicals. The EPA's results reveal that even modest laundries can put PFAS into city systems in amounts that can be measured. Standard filtration makes it hard to get rid of PFAS once they get into a treatment facility. They commonly get past sedimentation and biological treatment processes, which means that the chemicals stay in the treated water that is released into the environment or may settle into biosolids that are utilized on farms. Several municipal utilities have raised concerns about the cost of upgrading their systems to deal with PFAS. They say their budgets are tight and there isn't clear federal funding support. Environmental health groups say that these unmonitored discharges create a hidden feedback loop: cleaning clothes that are supposed to protect workers spreads pollution that harms larger communities. PFAS have been found in drinking water, groundwater, and surface water in both cities and rural areas. Scientists say that these compounds build up in the body over time and have been connected to health concerns including thyroid abnormalities, kidney and testicular malignancies, and problems with the immune system.

As more people learn that industrial laundries are PFAS pollutants, we may start to think differently about safety at work and taking care of the environment. Treated workwear protects workers from fire, oil spills, and other dangerous situations on the other hand. But cleaning that gear often can turn regular water systems into channels for chemical pollution. Soon, cities may have to think about pretreatment rules for industrial laundries, or possibly demand specific filtration for establishments that are at high risk.

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