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Wednesday 15 March 2023

EPA to limit toxic 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

From Front made $2 billion available
to states to get rid of con-
By MICHAEL PHILLIS and taminants such as PFAS and
MATTHEW DALY will release billions more in
Associated Press coming years. The agency
WASHINGTON (AP) — The also is providing technical
Environmental Protection support to smaller com-
Agency on Tuesday pro- munities that will soon be
posed the first federal limits forced to install treatments
on harmful "forever chemi- systems, and there's fund-
cals" in drinking water, a ing in the 2021 infrastruc-
long-awaited protection ture law for water system
the agency said will save upgrades.
thousands of lives and pre- Still, it will be expensive for
vent serious illnesses, includ- utilities to install new equip-
ing cancer. ment, and the burden will
The plan would limit tox- be especially tough for
ic PFAS chemicals to the small towns with fewer re-
lowest level that tests can sources.
detect. PFAS, or per- and "This is a problem that has
polyfluorinated substances, been handed over to utili-
are a group of compounds ties through no fault of their
that are widespread, dan- own," said Sri Vedachalam,
gerous and expensive to director of water equity
remove from water. They and climate resilience at
don't degrade in the envi- Michael Regan, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, announces the Biden Environmental Consulting &
ronment and are linked to administration is launching a broad strategy to regulate toxic industrial compounds associated Technology Inc.
a broad range of health with serious health conditions that are used in products ranging from cookware to carpets and Many communities will
issues, including low birth- firefighting foams during an event at N.C. State University, Oct. 18, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. need to balance the new
weight and kidney cancer. Associated Press PFAS requirements with
"The science is clear that removing poisonous lead
long-term exposure to PFAS changes before issuing a EPA is proposing the tight- concerns with the under- pipes and replacing aged
is linked to significant health final rule, expected by the est possible standards that lying science used to de- water mains prone to rup-
risks," Radhika Fox, assistant end of the year. are technically feasible, ex- velop" the proposed rule, turing, Vedachalam said.
EPA administrator for water, The Association of State perts said. adding: "It's critical that Fox said there "isn't a one-
said in an interview. Drinking Water Administra- "This is a really historic mo- EPA gets the science right.'' size answer" to how com-
Fox called the federal pro- tors called the proposal "a ment," said Melanie Ben- The proposal would also munities will prioritize their
posal a "transformational step in the right direction" esh, vice president of gov- regulate other types of needs but said billions of
change" for improving the but said compliance will be ernment affairs at the Envi- PFAS like GenX Chemicals, dollars in federal resources
safety of drinking water challenging. Despite avail- ronmental Working Group. which manufacturers used are available for water im-
in the United States. The able federal money, "sig- "There are many commu- as a substitute when PFOA provements.
agency estimates the rule nificant rate increases will nities that have had PFAS and PFOS were phased With federal help, water
could reduce PFAS expo- be required for most of the in their water for decades out of consumer products. providers that serve met-
sure for nearly 100 million systems" that must remove who have been waiting The proposal would regu- ropolitan areas should be
Americans, decreasing PFAS, the group said Tues- for a long time for this an- late the cumulative health able to spread out costs in
rates of cancer, heart at- day. Environmental and nouncement to come out." threat of those compounds a way "no one will notice,''
tacks and birth complica- public health advocates The agency said its propos- and mandate treatment if said Scott Faber, senior vice
tions. have called for federal reg- al will protect everyone, that threat is too high. president of government
The chemicals had been ulation of PFAS chemicals including vulnerable com- "Communities across this affairs at the Environmen-
used since the 1940s in for years. Over the last de- munities, and reduce illness country have suffered far tal Working Group, an ad-
consumer products and in- cade, the EPA has repeat- on a massive scale. The EPA too long from the ever- vocacy organization that
dustry, including in nonstick edly strengthened its pro- wants water providers to present threat of PFAS pol- works to get toxic chemi-
pans, food packaging and tective, voluntary health do testing, notify the public lution," EPA Administrator cals out of food, water,
firefighting foam. Their use thresholds for the chemi- when PFAS are found and Michael Regan said. The clothing and other items.
is now mostly phased out cals but has not imposed remove the compounds EPA's proposal could pre- Several states have already
in the U.S., but some still re- mandatory limits on water when levels are too high. vent tens of thousands of imposed PFAS drinking wa-
main. providers. Utilities that have high lev- PFAS-related illnesses, he ter limits. Officials in Michi-
The proposal would set Public concern has in- els of a contaminant are said, and stands as a "ma- gan, which has the tightest
strict limits of 4 parts per tril- creased in recent years as typically given time to fix jor step toward safeguard- standards of any state, said
lion, the lowest level that testing reveals PFAS chemi- problems, but they could ing all our communities costs to remove PFAS in
can be reliably measured, cals in a growing list of face fines or loss of federal from these dangerous con- communities where it was
for two common types of communities that are often grants if problems persist. taminants." found were reasonable.
PFAS compounds called near manufacturing plants The American Chemistry Emily Donovan, co-founder Erik Olson of the Natural
PFOA and PFOS. In addi- or Air Force bases. Council, which represents of Clean Cape Fear, which Resources Defense Coun-
tion, the EPA wants to regu- Until now, only a handful large chemical companies, advocates for cleaning cil called the EPA proposal
late the combined amount of states have issued PFAS slammed EPA's "misguided up a PFAS-contaminated crucial to protect public
of four other types of PFAS. regulations, and none has approach" and said, "these stretch of North Carolina, health. "Setting strong stan-
Water providers will have to set limits as strict as what low limits will likely result in said it was important to dards will help ensure the
monitor for PFAS. the EPA is proposing. By billions of dollars in compli- make those who released fundamental right of every
The public will have a regulating PFOA and PFOS ance costs.'' the compounds into the family to have safe water
chance to comment, and at the minimum amounts In a statement Tuesday, the environment pay cleanup flowing from their kitchen
the agency can make that tests can detect, the group said it has "serious costs. The EPA recently tap,'' he said.q