From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):
The more we learn about PFAS “forever chemicals,” the more it’s clear they should be nowhere near the human body. They’ve been linked to multiple types of cancer, lower fertility rates, autoimmune diseases and a laundry list of other health problems.1
Unfortunately, studies suggest 200 million Americans could be drinking water contaminated with these chemicals.2
Right now, the Biden administration is beginning the process of making a new rule that could limit the industrial dumping of PFAS in our waterways — and it wants to hear from us.3 Submit your comment at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=44262 and tell the Biden administration: Keep PFAS out of our water.
What do ski jackets, frying pans, burger wrappers, and foam used to fight fires in military hangars all have in common?
Many of each are made using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The chemicals’ heat resistance and ability to wick water and oil led to their adoption by manufacturers all over the country.4,5
As Teflon pans, Gore-Tex jackets and grease-free food wrappers proliferate, these forever chemicals are flowing from the factories that made them into our waterways.6
And health impacts from the chemicals are accumulating. In 2015, more than 200 scientists signed a letter urging countries to limit the use of these substances before they harm even more people.7
Fortunately, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now considering action to limit the dumping of PFAS into our rivers, lakes, and streams. But chemical companies are fighting to stop or weaken the proposal. That’s why it is so crucial that EPA hears from us — so that the agency follows through and takes meaningful action. Submit your comment today.
We know that when citizens raise their voices on this issue, we can win. That’s how we convinced Congress to order the military to stop using PFAS in firefighting foam.8
We now have an opportunity to convince the EPA to stop companies from dumping PFAS in our rivers. But we can’t make this case alone — in order to make it happen, we need your voice.
1. Lynne Peeples, “‘Forever chemicals’ pollute water from Alaska to Florida,” The Guardian, December 22, 2020.
2. Lynne Peeples, “‘Forever chemicals’ pollute water from Alaska to Florida,” The Guardian, December 22, 2020.
3. Elizabeth E. Aldridge, “EPA Advances Efforts to Address PFAS in Industrial Discharges,” The National Law Review, March 26, 2021.
4. Lynne Peeples, “‘Forever chemicals’ pollute water from Alaska to Florida,” The Guardian, December 22, 2020.
5. “New Study Indicates Toxic Chemicals Used in Take-Out Food Packaging from Popular Chains,” U.S. PIRG, August 6, 2020.
6. Lynne Peeples, “‘Forever chemicals’ pollute water from Alaska to Florida,” The Guardian, December 22, 2020.
7. Mark Scialla, “What are PFASs, the toxic chemicals being found in drinking water?” Public Broadcasting Service, August 12, 2016.
8. “Congress compels military to phase out PFAS but misses key opportunity,” Environment America, December 17, 2019.
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