EPA proposes first standards to make drinking water safer from 'forever chemicals'
Last edited Tue Mar 14, 2023, 04:20 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN Health
CNN — The US Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first national drinking water standard for “forever chemicals” that are dangerous to human health. The move could radically affect drinking water for nearly everyone in the United States. The new rule intends to set drinking water standards for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” PFAS are a family of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body, where they can cause serious health problems.
Although there are thousands of PFAS chemicals, according to the National Institutes of Health, under the rule, water systems would have to monitor for six specific chemicals, notify the public about PFAS levels and work to reduce them if levels go above the standard allowed. Environmental groups estimate as many as 110 million Americans could have contaminated water. “I am thrilled to announce that EPA is taking yet another bold step to protect public health,” said US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan at a news conference on Tuesday in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“Folks, this is a tremendous step forward in the right direction. We anticipate that when fully implemented, this rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS related illnesses.” Regan said the proposed rule would protect the health of people for generations. He characterized PFAS contamination as “one of the most pressing environmental and public health concerns in the modern world.” The agency chose these chemicals because it has the clearest science about their impact on human health and said it is evaluating additional chemicals, as well.
The EPA’s proposed limits set the allowable levels for these chemicals so low that they could not be easily detected. The proposal would regulate two chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). For PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals, the EPA proposes not one standard for each but a limit for a mix of them. Water systems would have to determine whether the levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk. They may need to install treatment or take other action to reduce PFAS levels, the agency said, and systems may also even need to switch to different water sources.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/health/epa-pfas-standards-wellness/index.html
Press release - https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-proposes-first-ever-national-standard-protect-communities
EPA PFAS in drinking water page (with lots of files available and Federal Register draft - PDFs) - https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
Link to tweet
@EPAwater
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Today, EPA Administrator Michael Regan is in North Carolina to announce a proposed rule to protect communities from PFAS in drinking water! Watch live at 10:00 a.m. EST.
youtube.com
EPA Announces Latest Action to Address PFAS in Drinking Water
EPA Administrator Michael Regan is in Wilmington, North Carolina to make a major announcement on EPA's latest action to protect families from PFAS pollution....
9:55 AM · Mar 14, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?vJuTu7MFmMnY
Article updated.
Previous article -
PFAS are a family of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body, where they can cause serious health problems. Although there are thousands of PFAS chemicals, according to the National Institutes of Health, under the rule, water systems would have to monitor for six specific chemicals, notify the public about PFAS levels and work to reduce them if levels go above the standard allowed.
Environmental groups estimate as many as 110 million Americans could have contaminated water. The EPA says the proposal would prevent thousands of deaths due to exposure to these chemicals, as well as tens of thousands of serious illnesses. The agency chose these chemicals because it has the most clear science about their impact on human health and said it is evaluating additional chemicals, as well.
The EPA's proposed limits set the allowable levels for these chemicals so low that they could not be easily detected. The proposal would regulate two chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). For PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals, the EPA proposes not one standard for each but a limit for a mix of them. Water systems would have to determine whether the levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk. They may need to install treatment or take other action to reduce PFAS levels, the agency said, and systems may also even need to switch to different water sources.
Original article -
PFAS are a family of ubiquitous synthetic chemicals that linger in the environment and the human body, where they can cause serious health problems. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, according to the National Institutes of Health. Under the proposed rule, water systems would have to monitor for six specific chemicals, notify the public about PFAS levels and work to reduce them if levels go above the standard allowed.
Environmental groups estimate as many as 110 million Americans could have contaminated water. The EPA says the proposal would prevent thousands of deaths due to exposure to these chemicals, as well as tens of thousands of serious illnesses. The proposal would regulate two chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). For PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals, the EPA proposes not one standard for each but a limit for a mix of them.
Water systems would have to use a hazard index calculation to determine whether the levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk. They may need to install treatment or take other action to reduce PFAS levels, the agency said, and systems may also need to take actions such as switching to different water sources. The EPA's new proposed standards set the allowable levels for these chemicals so low that they could not be easily detected.
= new reply since forum marked as read
as long as they don't control the Senate.
They do nothing but generate a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. 
