![]() But there are no federal restrictions on the amount of PFAS allowable in drinking water. “I’m emotional and thankful to the EPA today, it’s been a very painful and uplifting day for me.”ĮPA currently issues a non-enforceable health advisory for PFAS, which was reduced from 70 parts per trillion to almost zero parts per trillion in June 2022. My prayer is that everyone is listening and hearing how dangerous this is,” Grosse said. “PFAS is forever, and PFAS is deadly, and it doesn’t belong anywhere in our environment, water or soil. Her father died of brain cancer, and she was diagnosed with melanoma. Grosse grew up across the street from the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster. “It’s been a long painful journey, for my family, myself and the community,” said environmental advocate Hope Grosse, co-founder of Buxmont Coalition for Safer Water. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor That has led to numerous lawsuits against companies that make the products, such as DuPont and its successor companies, and 3M. The chemicals have been linked to some cancers, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, developmental delays in children, and other health conditions. ![]() The consequences of exposure to PFAS are long-lasting - the compounds can stay in the environment, and the human bloodstream, for years. Once the restrictions are implemented, water systems will be required to monitor and treat its water, and inform the public if PFAS levels exceed the EPA’s limits. The EPA has proposed regulating six types of PFAS chemicals. Similar studies have taken place in Paulsboro, New Jersey and New Castle, Del. Water supplies in communities located near military bases and airports have been particularly impacted, as fire suppressing foam has contaminated the groundwater.īucks and Montgomery County residents who have lived near former and active military bases in Horsham, Warminster and Warrington are now part of a CDC study looking at the health impacts of PFAS exposure from drinking water. The chemicals have been widely used in consumer products like nonstick cookware, flame-retardant fabrics, and some food packaging, as well as in fire suppressing foam. Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times July 12, 2021.PFAS chemicals have tainted the water, air, and soil across the country for decades. Those tests were not mandatory and there is no indication that they were carried out." scientists recommended additional testing. scientists pointed to preliminary evidence that, under some conditions, the chemicals could “degrade in the environment” into substances akin to PFOA, a kind of PFAS chemical, and could “persist in the environment” and “be toxic to people, wild mammals, and birds.” The E.P.A. In a consent order issued for the three chemicals on Oct. The records, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by a nonprofit group, Physicians for Social Responsibility, are among the first public indications that PFAS, long-lasting compounds also known as “forever chemicals,” may be present in the fluids used during drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The E.P.A.’s approval of the three chemicals wasn’t previously publicly known. in 2011 approved the use of these chemicals, used to ease the flow of oil from the ground, despite the agency’s own grave concerns about their toxicity, according to the documents, which were reviewed by The New York Times. "For much of the past decade, oil companies engaged in drilling and fracking have been allowed to pump into the ground chemicals that, over time, can break down into toxic substances known as PFAS - a class of long-lasting compounds known to pose a threat to people and wildlife - according to internal documents from the Environmental Protection Agency. approvals came despite the agency’s own concerns about toxicity." "The compounds can form PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to cancer and birth defects.
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