PFAS Found In Cemetery Runoff That Is Leaching Into Nearby Groundwater

Tests suggest that PFAS from burial materials and embalming fluids are moving into groundwater around cemeteries, which is a new environmental health risk

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - More and more environmental studies are finding that cemeteries are an unlikely source of PFAS pollution. Burial sites were always supposed to be tranquil places to rest, but now they are related to the slow leaching of dangerous "forever chemicals" into groundwater. PFAS chemicals, which have been used for decades in coatings, fabrics, and preservation agents that resist water, are now showing up in samples of soil and runoff taken near cemeteries. Researchers think that the chemicals came from embalming fluids, casket linings, fake floral coatings, and the clothes that the dead person wore that kept water out. Over time, rain and irrigation water seep through burial soils, bringing PFAS into streams and aquifers that are close by. This revelation adds a disturbing new level to monitoring contamination for areas that get their drinking water from groundwater. Local health officials said that the levels are still being looked at, but the results show how hard it is to get rid of PFAS exposure. Some people are anxious about the possibility of cancer from PFAS water contamination, and the situation has already been compared to contamination occurrences in factories and the military. As more people learn about PFAS water contamination, families who are affected are getting in touch with a PFAS water contamination lawyer to learn about their legal rights and see if groundwater contamination near burial sites could lead to government action or cleanup.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that PFAS compounds are among the most long-lasting synthetic chemicals ever made. They can stay in soil and water for decades. When PFAS gets into groundwater, it can spread far from where it came from and impact wells and streams that houses and farms use. In places with older cemeteries, where coffins and burial vaults were manufactured with PFAS-treated materials, leaching may happen slowly but all the time. Some experiments have found modest levels of contamination miles downstream from cemeteries built on permeable soils or near places that are likely to flood. Most cemeteries were not built with protecting groundwater in mind, according to environmental experts. Drainage systems that are meant to keep water from flooding may accidentally send runoff that is high in PFAS into ditches, creeks, or irrigation channels. Cities are starting to pay attention and are looking at whether future burial licenses should include new environmental protections like lined sites, devices for capturing runoff, or limits on materials that contain PFAS. But making older sites more modern is really hard, both financially and culturally. The subject is still touchy because cemeteries are important locations for both emotions and the environment. Regulators have to be careful not to hurt the dignity of existing burial grounds while also making sure that the water is clean. In the future, managing PFAS at burial sites will probably be part of bigger plans to preserve water. Environmental engineers are already working on alternatives to embalming and coffin materials that are biodegradable and don't contain PFAS. Some funeral houses are starting to offer "green burials," in which bodies are buried without chemical preservation or synthetic linings.

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