Congress has allocated billions of dollars to address contamination caused by the ubiquitous class of “forever” chemicals known as PFAS—with billions also earmarked in recent legal settlements with manufacturers—but drinking water managers, construction sector experts and other stakeholders say the true cost of cleanup could be much higher.
If you’ve been warned recently that there’s a class of forever toxic chemicals that you want to avoid at all costs, you’re not alone. We’re all finding out that a single chemical, man-made in 1938 (eventually called Teflon), has led to over 9,000 hazardous man-made chemicals called Per- and PolyFluoroAlkylSubstances (PFAS).
The list of PFAS-contaminated household products published by the Environmental Working Group runs the gamut from prepackaged food, shampoo/conditioners, dental floss to nonstick cookware, water-repellent/stain-proof jackets and carpets.
The EPA under a future Biden administration is expected to quickly move to set regulations on “forever chemicals” in water and other areas, but not to restrict the entire group of thousands of the substances, attorneys said in recent interviews.
The Environmental Protection Agency is already expected to set national drinking water limits for two of these chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, said Cynthia AM Stroman, a partner in King & Spalding LLP’s Washington, D.C. office.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
