Tell PA Senators to Pass the PFAS Action Act to Protect Our Drinking Water

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

We have a huge chance to protect our drinking water.

When we turn on the taps in our kitchens, none of us should have to worry that our water is tainted with toxic substances. Yet toxic PFAS chemicals have already contaminated the drinking water of millions of Americans.¹ That’s unconscionable.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, U.S. House of Representatives just approved a sweeping bill to stop further PFAS pollution and clean up existing contamination.² Now it’s the Senate’s turn. Tell your senators: Vote to keep PFAS chemicals out of our drinking water at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=36299.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals used in the manufacture of nonstick pans, non-stain fabrics, firefighting foam and more. They’ve also been linked to cancer, liver and kidney problems, developmental issues in children, and other health conditions. PFAS are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” due to the fact that contamination can persist in the environment — and in a human body — for decades.^3,4

Obviously, we don’t want these chemicals anywhere near our water. But PFAS have already contaminated the drinking water of at least 16 million Americans.⁵

This pollution is a crisis, and we need to treat it like one. That’s why PennEnvironment and our national network are calling on Congress to pass the PFAS Action Act. The legislation contains the following measures to help clean up existing contamination and reduce the risks of future PFAS pollution, including:

Directing the Environmental Protection Agency to limit PFAS pollution in our air and water.

Kickstarting cleanup of existing contamination under the Superfund program.

Expanding our right to know where and when these toxic chemicals are used.⁶

Tell your senators: Pass the PFAS Action Act.

On Jan. 10, after thousands of members and supporters like you joined us in calling for action, the House passed the PFAS Action Act with a bipartisan majority.⁷ Tell the Senate to do the same.

1. Mark Scialla, “What are PFASs, the toxic chemicals being found in drinking water?,” Public Broadcasting Service, August 12, 2016.
2. “H.R.535 – PFAS Action Act of 2019,” Congress.gov, accessed January 20, 2020.
3. Rebecca Hersher, “Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS,” National Public Radio, April 22, 2019.
4. “PFAS Health Effects,” Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, January 10, 2018.
5. Bill Walker, “Update: Mapping the Expanding PFAS Crisis,” Environmental Working Group, April 18, 2018.
6. “H.R.535 – PFAS Action Act of 2019,” Congress.gov, accessed January 20, 2020.
7. “H.R.535 – PFAS Action Act of 2019,” Congress.gov, accessed January 20, 2020.