EPA Considers Placing Limits On 'Forever Chemicals' In Drinking Water
The Guardian, July 14, 2021. EPA considers placing limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. - Ed.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it’s considering drinking water limits for the entire class of PFAS compounds, which public health advocates say are categorically toxic. The chemicals are used to make products resistant to water, stain and heat, and are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t fully break down or degrade.
They’re linked to a range of serious health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney problems, heart disease, decreased immunity, and more. Though the EPA announcement only marks the beginning of a years-long process, the move is significant because the agency doesn’t place any limits on PFAS in drinking water, and states’ rules only limit fewer than 10 types of individual PFAS compounds.
About 9,000 varieties of the chemical exist, and a growing body of scientific research suggests that the entire class is toxic to humans and animals, and accumulates in the environment. Environmental groups have argued for several years that developing rules for each individual compound is failing to keep the public safe.
“With over 1,000 PFAS chemicals approved for use in the U.S., a chemical-by-chemical approach to setting drinking water limits would likely take many lifetimes,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist with Environmental Working Group...
Read More,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/14/epa-pfas-compounds-drinking-water
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- PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported. New Detections of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in New York, D.C., Other Major Cities. EWG, Jan. 22, 2020, https://www.ewg.org/research/national-pfas-testing/
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- NJ sues 3 firms over 'forever chemicals' in drinking water. ABC News, Nov. 10, 2020, NJ is upping its efforts to force chemical companies to pay for decades of contamination of waterways by so-called “forever chemicals” used to stain-proof clothing & produce non-stick cookware that have become ubiquitous in everyday life,
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nj-sues-firms-forever-chemicals-drinking-water-74131424
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