The headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency is seen in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2020.
Lucy Nicholson | Reuters
Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first nationwide restrictions on so-called “without end chemicals” in drinking water after discovering that these compounds are more dangerous than previously thought – even at undetectable levels.
The chemical, often known as perfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, has been voluntarily phased out by US manufacturers. Nevertheless, they’re immune to environmental degradation and should remain within the human body after ingestion. Because of this, most individuals within the US have been exposed to PFAS and have these chemicals of their blood, In response to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because the Nineteen Forties, chemicals have been used to make waterproof, stick- and stain-resistant products and could be present in food packaging, cookware, clothing and fire-fighting foam, amongst other things. The chemical has been linked to health problems, including some cancers, liver damage, and low birth weight.
Environmental Working Group, an environmental organization found 41,828 industrial and municipal facilities known to provide, use or are suspected of using PFAS, with among the highest levels present in the cities of Miami, Recent Orleans and Philadelphia.
The EPA’s proposed standards include six PFASs which have contaminated the nation’s drinking water supplies. The proposal would regulate PFOA and PFOS as individual impurities and would regulate 4 other PFASs – PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals – as a mix.
For PFOA and PFOS, the agency has proposed a binding drinking water limit of 4 parts per trillion per chemical. For the remainder, the EPA has proposed a binding limit based on a hazard index designed to account for the cumulative effects of chemicals.
The agency said it expected the regulation to be finalized by the tip of the 12 months. The EPA said if fully implemented, the rule would prevent 1000’s of deaths and reduce tens of 1000’s of illnesses attributed to PFAS.
“Communities across the country have suffered for much too long from the pervasive threat of PFAS contamination,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in an announcement. “The EPA’s proposal to determine a national standard for PFAS in drinking water relies on the perfect science available and would help provide states with the guidance they should make decisions that best protect their communities.”
The regulation would also require public water systems to watch chemicals, notify the general public, and reduce PFAS contamination if levels exceed proposed regulatory standards.
“Today’s proposal is a obligatory and long-awaited step towards resolving the national PFAS crisis, but what comes next is just as necessary,” said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a lawyer at Earthjustice.
“The EPA must resist efforts to water down this proposal, move quickly to finalize health protection limits for these six chemicals, and address the remaining PFAS that proceed to contaminate drinking water supplies and harm communities across the country,” said Kalmuss-Katz.
The EPA was first alerted to the presence of PFAS in drinking water in 2001, but failed to determine a nationwide legal limit over time. Last 12 months, the agency issued health recommendations setting near-zero health risk thresholds for the chemicals, replacing the 2016 guidelines which set the next threshold.
Representatives of US chemical corporations, corresponding to the American Chemistry Council, objected to the Biden administration’s designation of PFAS chemicals as dangerous and he argued that the principle is dear and ineffective.
agency last 12 months invited countries and territories apply for $1 billion under a bipartisan infrastructure law to handle PFAS in drinking water, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Grant funding will provide technical assistance, water quality testing, contractor training, and the installation of centralized treatment technologies and systems.