The Environmental Protection Agency is ramping up efforts to address PFAS contamination across the U.S., including by advancing PFAS remediation and cleanup efforts and better enforcing PFAS discharge limits through the Clean Water Act.
Among dozens of other initiatives, the agency will prioritize risk-based review of new and existing PFAS chemicals; create effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) to nationally regulate water pollution from industrial and commercial facilities; and work with Congress and industry “to establish a clear liability framework that operates on polluter pays and protects passive receivers.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of several thousand man-made chemicals used to make products water repellent, heat-resistant, or non-stick.
The chemicals are also linked to a variety of adverse health effects, including kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, hypertension, high cholesterol and reproductive problems.
“I have long been concerned about PFAS and the efforts to help states and communities dealing with legacy contamination in their backyards,” Zeldin said Monday. “With today’s announcement, we are tackling PFAS from all of EPA’s program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing certainty for passive receivers.”
Data released by the EPA in March confirmed that 143 million Americans have drinking water contaminated by PFAS. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry estimates that over 95% of the U.S. population have measurable amounts of PFAS in their blood.
In its press release announcing the decision, the EPA laid out several other actions to be taken over the next few years, including:
Designate an agency lead for PFAS to streamline information collection and scientific guidance across EPA programs.Implement a testing strategy under Toxic Substances Control Act to better understand the hazards and exposure pathways of PFAS, including through air emissions.Update the PFAS Destruction and Disposal Guidance annually versus the current three-year cycle.Add PFAS to the Toxic Release Inventory, a publicly available database that tracks the management of toxic chemicals.Investigate and address “immediate endangerment” posed to communities by PFAS via Safe Drinking Water Act authority. Provide assistance to states and tribes on risk assessments and enforcement efforts, as well as support investigations into violations and hold polluters accountable.
“This list is the first, not the last, of all decisions and actions EPA will be taking to address PFAS over the course of the Trump Administration,” the EPA press release adds. “There will be more to come in the future across EPA’s program offices to help communities impacted by PFAS contamination.”
