Nearly 70 years after the chemicals were widely used, the federal government is finally regulating so-called „permanent chemicals“ found in everything from nonstick cookware to menstrual products. .
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced the nation's first drinking water standards for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS. These long-lasting synthetic chemicals do not break down naturally in the environment and have been linked to cancer, heart and liver problems, developmental disorders, and other health problems.
Under the new rules, drinking water concentration Two of the most thoroughly studied and widespread of these substances, PFOA and PFOS, will be capped at approximately 4 ppm, the lower limit that EPA considers technically possible. , reflecting scientists' understanding that there is no safe exposure level for these substances. they. Three other common PFASs are limited to 10 parts per trillion when measured alone, in combination with each other, or with a single unregulated chemical .
The regulated compounds represent a portion of the entire class of chemicals, with more than 15,000 different variants falling under the PFAS umbrella. Still, the EPA estimates that its new rules: Protect approximately 100 million people Prevents exposure and prevents tens of thousands of serious diseases, especially cancer.
„We are one big step closer to turning off the chemical spigot for good,“ the agency's top official, Michael Regan, told reporters on Tuesday. He also announced nearly $1 billion in funding through bipartisan infrastructure legislation to help states and private well owners test and clean up contamination. This funding is in addition to the $21 billion that Congress already made available through legislation to improve drinking water systems, of which $9 billion was earmarked specifically for cleaning up these types of chemicals.
The regulations announced Tuesday represent the EPA's strongest action yet to address the perennial chemical threat, likely motivated by: growing concern About pollution that is omnipresent in people's bodies and the environment.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, virtually all Americans PFAS in bloodAnd researchers have discovered chemicals in people's bodies. brain, placenta, liverumbilical cord.
Chemicals have become so pervasive that rainwater in most places on Earth contains substances such as: dangerous concentration.a study A paper published this week found that 31 percent of groundwater tested worldwide contained harmful levels, even though the samples were taken far from obvious sources of contamination. found.
chemical company Already known in the 1970s PFAS has been accumulating in people's bodies and people have continued to use it for decades, despite the potentially serious consequences. Although major U.S. manufacturers such as 3M voluntarily stopped producing chemicals in the early 2000s, could potentially face billions of dollars Amount of damages due to consumer protection lawsuit filed by More than half of the attorneys general In the US.
„How do we regulate something that's already here?“ asked Daniel Jones, deputy director of the PFAS Research Center at Michigan State University. „They're still in the environment, in the soil, in the water,“ he says now. Emphasis is placed on cleaning.
In 2016, the EPA issued a non-binding public health advisory recommending that drinking water contain no more than 70 parts per trillion of PFOA and PFOS. Started developing a “strategic roadmap” to formalize regulations in 2021; The proposal was published last year. It gathered about 120,000 comments. The final regulations add maximum contaminant levels for PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX chemicals, not only limiting their co-use as previously proposed, but also increasing concentrations higher than those allowed for PFOA and PFOS. It will be.
While EPA deliberates, at least 11 states have adopted rules limiting PFAS in drinking water. These regulations will be superseded by federal guidelines.
Environmental and public health experts welcomed the rule, although they acknowledged its shortcomings. Katie Pelch, an environmental health scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said regulating PFAS on a chemical-by-chemical basis is dangerous. Manufacturers may replace restricted compounds with similar compounds that are less studied but may be equally dangerous.
„We need to define PFAS more broadly and take action against the entire class of chemicals, so we don't just trade one toxic chemical for another,“ Pelch said. told Grist. The EPA tests for more than 20 chemicals in drinking water, but a 2023 study by Pelch and colleagues found 12 compounds not covered by the agency. One problem is that it would (potentially) take an enormous amount of time to assess all his PFAS individually. many lifetimes.
The EPA did not respond to Grist's request for comment, but Biden administration officials said at a news conference that in order to achieve the strongest possible policy, the EPA must address chemicals for which there is the greatest evidence of toxicity. It was implied that he had chosen.
“We are very confident that, within our statutory authority, we have developed very durable regulations to protect people from harmful contaminants in drinking water,” officials said. Ta.
States have five years to comply with the new drinking water standards. Three of those years will be spent testing water supplies, and two years will be spent reducing regulated PFAS concentrations as needed. The rule could mean upgrading filtration processes for up to 10 percent of the 66,000 water systems covered by the rule, according to the EPA. Available options funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act include granular activated carbon systems, which are similar to charcoal filters, and reverse osmosis, which uses semipermeable membranes to filter contaminants. Includes various filtration methods.
The agency is letting power companies decide which method is most effective for their communities. In Wilmington, North Carolina, a granular activated carbon system has already been effective in removing PFAS, which is subject to EPA regulations, and the same technology could help remove them. Other items not subject to regulations.
„The state you live in should not affect whether your drinking water contains PFAS,“ Pelch says. „The EPA can help us address this problem.“ The new rules don't completely govern the blanket of chemicals that will forever spread in our environment, but all moving forward This step is important.
Editor's note: Natural Resources Defense Council is a Grist advertiser. Advertisers have no role in his Grist editorial decisions.