For the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it is issuing national regulations limiting the amount of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFASfound in drinking water.
Commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are synthetic chemicals found almost everywhere – in the air, waterand soil – and can take thousands of years to decompose in the environment.
The EPA said there is no safe level of exposure to PFAS without risk of health impacts, but it will now require water utilities to test for six different types of PFAS chemicals in order to reduce exposure in drinking water. The new standards will reduce exposure to PFAS for 100 million people, according to the EPA, and prevent thousands of deaths and illnesses.
“PFAS-contaminated drinking water has affected communities across the country for too long,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement Wednesday.
To help public water companies comply with new drinking water standards, the EPA is making $1 billion available to states and territories to implement testing and treatment for PFAS in water systems. public water. This money is part of a $9 billion investment made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 to help communities impacted by PFAS contamination.
“President Biden believes that everyone deserves access to clean, safe drinking water, and he is keeping that promise,” Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said in a statement.
PFAS have been used since the 1940s, often to repel oil and water, and are heat resistant, making them popular for a variety of products. But according to industry literature, manufacturers have known for decades that PFAS are toxic.
“They are found in everything from nonstick cookware to cleaning and personal care products,” Regan said during a press briefing. “But there is no doubt that many of these chemicals can be harmful to our health and our environment.”
Research confirms that exposure to certain levels of PFAS in the environment can lead to a range of health problems, from reproductive problems, including reduced fertility, to developmental delays in children and low birth weight, through a weakened immune system, increased cholesterol levels, impacts on the cardiovascular system and certain types of cancer.
“I think the strongest data is for kidney cancer and then testicular cancer,” Dr. Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Sciences, told CBS News. “But evidence is accumulating for several other forms of cancer.”
Critics argue that the EPA has not gone far enough because there are more than 15,000 PFAS chemicals and this standard only regulates six.
“I think we need to start addressing PFAS as an entire class of chemicals,” Birnbaum said. “And we have to ask ourselves: Do we really need it?”
The EPA estimates that of the 66,000 public water systems affected by the standard, 6 to 10 percent may need to act to comply with the regulations. Operators will have three years to test for PFAS pollution, then two additional years to identify, purchase and install the technology needed to treat contaminated water.
Erik D. Olson, senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told CBS News that the EPA estimates it will cost about $1.5 billion “to treat all of this water and protect the people’s health.” exceed these costs. »
Although we have known about the risks for several years, it has taken a long time to regulate PFAS at the federal level.
“There’s just tremendous political opposition from the chemical industry and, frankly, from some water utilities, who don’t want the EPA to regulate these chemicals, because they know that “Once the EPA takes action against them, it’s going to cost a lot of money, and they don’t want to spend that money,” Olson said.
Although the responsibility for cleanup will come at the expense of water companies, the new regulations do little to hold polluters accountable for the harm PFAS causes to the environment and human health. There have been several significant settlements in recent years by chemical companies regarding PFAS contamination, one of the most notable being a $10.3 billion settlement achieved by 3M in June 2023.
If you want to limit your exposure to PFAS in drinking water, you can ask your water utility how they test for chemicals, or have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory using the state’s testing standards. EPA. There are several technologies available for purchase to filter PFAS from your home water source. When it comes to PFAS in other common products, there are several lists to help keep track of which companies have banned PFAS from their products.
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