Get the world's best independent media newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. The chemicals, identified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are a group of man-made chemicals manufactured to produce things like non-stick pans, grease-resistant paper and water-resistant clothing. Grandjean’s paper recommended a drinking water limit for PFAS of 1 ppt. 136. The agency has failed to act even as more about the risks of the chemical group has become known, and even as some scientists and environmental organizations have concluded that a far lower concentration of PFAS in water–1 ppt–is a more appropriate limit. “It takes 20 years to even consider regulating one, and we’ve got thousands,” says Olson at the NRDC. Some 500 drinking water wells across California, which serve about nine million residents, are contaminated with toxic substances, dubbed âforever chemicals,â according to a recent report from The Big Wobble. Birnbaum has studied the notorious chemicals for decades and is convinced that existing studies are more than enough to confirm that the chemicals cause harm in people. Because PFAS are notorious for accumulating in tissues, it’s possible that their health impacts are great, said Jill Buck, a Pleasanton resident and the chief executive officer of the Go Green Initiative. Why dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ are allowed in US drinking water Ryan Felton of Consumer Reports, in The Guardian (Image above from the Isthmus, Madison WI) I n 2014, residents of Horsham Township, near Philadelphia, learned that their water had been contaminated with potentially toxic chemicals linked to an array of health problems, including learning delays in children and cancer. But some experts say even 1 ppt is too high. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Share on Facebook; Share on Twitter; Share via Email; 1 month … The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, says that these newer chemicals are safer and that regulating them as a class isn’t reasonable, because “many PFAS chemistries have very different profiles from PFOS and PFOA.”. By. Birnbaum said she was banned from using the word “cause” when referring to the health outcomes of chemical exposure during her time with the NIEHS. But since then the EPA hasn’t implemented a new standard for a previously unregulated contaminant. But more than being possible, extensive studies found that exposure to the said chemicals can have devastating consequences. (For context, 1 ppt is the equivalent of one grain of sand in an Olympic-sized swimming pool, according to some estimates.). This story is co-published with Consumer Reports ; Ryan Felton of Consumer Reports. Lt Ronald Kroop, who led the study, elaborated on those concerns in an August 2019 deposition: “It’s going in the ground,” he said. In particular, Birnbaum cited the results of rat studies linking the exposure of low doses of forever chemicals to pancreatic cancer. “It’s imperative for Congress to pass legislation that establishes PFAS limits in drinking water.”. Birnbaum has studied the notorious chemicals for decades and is convinced that existing studies are more than enough to confirm that the chemicals cause harm in people. Arlene Blum, executive director of the nonprofit Green Science Policy Institute, suggests that states can act more quickly to tackle the problem. The Pennas also claim that tests of their private well found PFOA and PFOS levels of 298 ppt and 701 ppt, respectively–up to 10 times the EPA’s voluntary limit. Certain PFAS chemicals are no longer maunfactured in the US following phase-outs and state-mandated testing of water supplies, where the chemicals can often be found. To make matters worse, the chemicals are also mobile in water, Amy Kyle, an environmental health scientist with the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, told CBS SF Bay Area. This is consistent with the EPA’s own findings that the chemicals triggered tumor growth in animals. “It’s not regulated in food packaging, it’s not regulated when it goes up into the air, it’s not regulated when it gets dumped into the wastewater, it’s not regulated as a hazardous waste,” said Kyle. When Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, it granted the EPA authority to regulate drinking water. Local water officials in California are also looking into new filtering technologies to keep dangerous chemicals from contaminating water supplies. Those residents include Frank and Lisa Penna, who allege in a lawsuit that their water was among the contaminated supplies. A few states have set PFAS limits below the EPA’s 70 ppt advisory, according to American Water Works, an industry group. Why dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ are allowed in US drinking water. It set voluntary guidelines of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for two of the compounds combined that are most studied and believed to be dangerous: PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, and PFOS, or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. But she says the navy has spent $200m investigating and responding to potential PFAS concerns and is “working collaboratively with our regulatory partners and concerned communities”. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Known as PFAS, for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the chemicals in this class of approximately 5,000 substances have become notorious as much for their potential danger as for their perseverance. 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While that figure might appear small, research shows that contaminants in the water can accumulate inside bodies, interrupting important biological processes and triggering the onset of several chronic diseases. John Mulholland. That being said, PFAS are still present in consumer goods imported into the US. (Related: Fast food wrappers loaded with toxic, polluting chemicals.). Part of the government’s defense? The American Chemistry Council disagrees. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Navy spokesperson Lt Gabrielle Dimaapi declined to comment on the Penna case, citing ongoing litigation. Copyright © 2020 by Patriot Daily Press. PFAS compounds are also ubiquitous, used in a range of products, from food-delivery boxes to nonstick cookware to stain-resistant clothing. All rights reserved. Ideally, the EPA should set limits on PFAS in drinking water, says CR’s Brian Ronholm. Other cancers linked to PFAS exposure include testicular cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. Email. Attorney Robert Bilott and Mark Ruffalo, who plays him in the movie Dark Waters, It will be literally geologic time before we see regulation of most of them, US drinking water contamination with ‘forever chemicals’ far worse than scientists thought, CR recently tested 47 bottled waters and detected PFAS in 43 of them, the growing crisis of water affordability, June letter to the journal Environmental Science & Technology, Why you need to know about PFAS, the chemicals in pizza boxes and rainwear, This story is co-published with Consumer Reports. Dangerous “forever chemicals” found in at least 500 drinking water wells across California. Why Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Still Allowed in America’s Drinking Water. Soon after, the agency adopted standards for about two dozen contaminants, according to research by James Salzman, an environmental law professor at UCLA.
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