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The Environmental Protection Agency warns that two non-sticky, stain-resistant compounds in drinking water are more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at currently undetectable levels. increase.
The two compounds, known as PFOA and PFOS, have been voluntarily phased out by US manufacturers, but their continued use is limited and the chemicals do not decompose over time, so the environment. Remains in. These compounds are part of a larger cluster of “eternal chemicals” known as PFAS that have been used in consumer products and industry since the 1940s.
Wednesday’s EPA issued non-binding health recommendations that set PFOA and PFOS health risk thresholds to near zero, replacing the 2016 guidelines that set them at 70 ppm. Chemicals are found in products such as paperboard packaging, carpets and fire extinguishing foam.
At the same time, the agency is calling on states and territories to apply for $ 1 billion under the new bipartisan infrastructure law to combat PFAS and other pollutants in drinking water. The funds could be used for technical assistance, water quality inspections, contractor training, and the establishment of intensive care, officials said.
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Some states have set their own drinking water restrictions to address PFAS pollution, which is far more stringent than federal guidance. Toxic industrial compounds are associated with serious health conditions such as cancer and weight loss at birth.
“People at the forefront of PFAS pollution have suffered for a very long time,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “Therefore, the EPA is taking positive action as part of a government-wide approach to prevent these chemicals from entering the environment and to protect the families involved from this widespread challenge. “
PFAS stands for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances used in non-stick frying pans, water repellent sports gear, antifouling rugs, cosmetics and countless other consumer products. Chemical bonds are so strong that they do not deteriorate in the environment or deteriorate only slowly and remain in the human bloodstream indefinitely.
The revised health guidelines are based on new science and take into account lifetime exposure to chemicals, the EPA said. An EPA spokesman said authorities are no longer convinced that the PFAS levels allowed in the 2016 guidelines “do not adversely affect health.”
Under the new guidelines, the acceptable risk is below currently measurable levels, but as a practical matter, EPA will use chemicals when the chemical reaches measurable levels (currently about 4 ppm). It is recommended to take action against the substance. Tuesday night.
The EPA said it plans to propose domestic drinking water regulations for PFOA and PFOS later this year, with final rules scheduled for 2023.
In a related development, EPA said it would issue the final health recommendations for two chemicals considered alternatives to PFOA and PFOS for the first time. One group is known as GenX Chemicals and the other group is known as PFBS. The GenX Chemical Health Recommendation was set at 10 ppb and the PFBS was set at 2,000 ppm.
Authorities have issued new recommendations to inform the federal and state actions to address PFAS in drinking water, including water quality monitoring, the use of filters, other techniques to reduce PFAS, and strategies to reduce exposure to substances. Said that it would provide technical information that could be used by local agencies. ..
The Environmental and Public Health Group welcomed this announcement as a good first step. Proponents have long encouraged action against PFAS after thousands of communities have detected PFAS chemicals in the water. According to the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy group, PFAS chemicals have been identified in nearly 400 military installations, with at least 200 million Americans drinking PFAS-contaminated water.
“The EPA had the courage to follow science, which is a step in the right direction,” said Stel Bailey, co-facilitator of the National PFAS Contamination Coalition.
“Science is clear. These chemicals are shockingly toxic at very low doses,” added Eric Olson, senior strategic director of health and food at the Natural Resources Defense Council. As a single class of chemicals. “
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Melanie Benesh, a legislative lawyer for the Environmental Working Group, said the EPA’s announcement “should warn consumers and regulators.” She urged the EPA to “move much faster to dramatically reduce exposure to these toxic chemicals.”
In a statement, the American Chemistry Council, which represents major chemical companies, will support the development of PFAS drinking water standards based on the best science available, while the EPA’s announcement is the scientific completeness of the process. sex. “
The advisory is not binding, but “will have a significant impact on policy at the state and federal levels,” the group said. “These new levels cannot be achieved with existing therapeutic techniques and are, in fact, below possible levels. They are reliably detected using existing EPA methods.”
The Chemours Company, a spin-off of DuPont that uses so-called GenX chemicals to produce high-performance fluoropolymers used in products such as semiconductors, mobile phones and hospital ventilators, “fundamentally announced the EPA. There is a defect. “
“The EPA has ignored relevant data and issued health recommendations that violate the authorities’ own standards and the administration’s commitment to scientific integrity,” The Chemours said in a statement.
“We are already using state-of-the-art technology on our site to reduce emissions and repair past emissions,” Chemours said, and authorities have taken EPA’s scientifically unhealthy behavior. To address this, he added, “We are assessing the next steps, including potential legal action.” “
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According to a North Carolina study, The Chemours had been discharging GenX from its Fayetteville plant into the Cape Fia River for years. The EPA’s Chifreegan was the state’s premier environmental official when the investigation began and led negotiations leading to river cleanup.
Governor Roy Cooper and his current environmental manager last week announced three strategies to work on further efforts to reduce and improve a wide range of PFAS chemicals in water sources.
A law passed by the House of Representatives directs the EPA to set national drinking water standards for PFAS and to develop emission limits for various industries suspected of releasing PFAS into the water. The bill is stuck in the Senate.