(The Center Square) – Colorado health officials are taking public comments on the state’s plan to reduce PFAS chemicals.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment scheduled virtual meetings and will accept public comments to gain input on how the chemicals can be reduced. The chemicals are used to make coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemicals are found in clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces and the insulation of electric wire, according to the CDC.
“We don’t know whether PFAS will cause a specific health impact for an individual,” according to information on the Department of Public Health and Environment website. “That’s because many factors, such as health history and lifestyle, can cause health impacts.”
The department website said exposure to PFAS in drinking water is “more significant than typical exposures from sources such as food or consumer products.” A status report on Colorado’s public water systems posted by the department found “all Colorado drinking water has PFBS and Gen X levels below the health advisory” made by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in 2022.
The department said children up to age 5, people who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding are more susceptible to adverse impacts from the chemicals. It reported scientific evidence of two specific PFAS chemicals increasing cholesterol, impacting the immune system, decreasing infant birth weight and causing changes in liver function.
“Colorado has been and will continue to be a leader in addressing these harmful chemicals,” Trisha Oeth, director of CDPHE, said in a statement announcing the meetings. “Our team has put science, data and public health protection at the center of this draft plan, and our upcoming work with community members and other stakeholders is key to a collaborative approach to making these principles a reality.”
House Bill 22-1345 was signed into law and bans the sale and distribution of specific consumer products containing intentionally added PFAS and requires labeling for cooking products containing the chemicals. As of Jan. 1, the law prohibited the sale or distribution of any products in the state containing intentionally added PFAs in carpets or rugs, fabric treatments, food packaging, juvenile products and oil and gas products.
The department’s 2024 plan said it will use the best available science to identify and reduce exposure to PFAS. It plans to assess and provide information on health risks associated with PFAS and the prevention of the release and addressing known releases of the chemicals.
Colorado’s 2019 PFAS plan resulted in the sampling of drinking water, surface water, private wells, industrial and wastewater discharges and fish tissue. It led to a Colorado 2019 law banning the use of firefighting foam containing the chemicals.