Monumental win for public health: PFAS drinking water standards will save countless lives
For Immediate Release | April 10th, 2024
NATIONAL: For nearly a decade, PFAS-contaminated community groups have been on the frontlines demanding federal protection from PFAS exposures. Today, in a historic step to address these community concerns the EPA announced its first-ever nationwide enforceable drinking water standards for six per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).The finalized drinking water standards are:
- 4 parts per trillion for PFOA
- 4 parts per trillion for PFOS
- A standard based on the hazard of a mixture of four PFAS chemicals: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and HFPO-DA (commonly known as Gen X)
- 10 parts per trillion for PFNA
- 10 parts per trillion for PFHxS
- 10 parts per trillion for HFPO-DA
The National PFAS Contamination Coalition (NPCC), which includes over 30 community groups acutely impacted by PFAS contamination, celebrates the new rules as an important milestone in their work to achieve justice for those affected by PFAS contamination.
“Impacted communities have been raising the alarm bells and tirelessly organizing for these drinking water protections for years. This is a landmark decision that will save countless lives,” said Dana Colihan, co-facilitator of the National PFAS Contamination Coalition and Co-Executive Director of Slingshot.
PFAS are a class of highly toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, such as cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, and immune system disorders.They are often called “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment. There are currently no proven, safe disposal methods for PFAS.
Communities all across the nation were contaminated by PFAS without consent for decades while a handful of chemical companies, along with the US military and civilian fire service, knowingly hid the dangers of these toxicants from regulators, soldiers, firefighters, factory-workers, and the general public. This is the first time the EPA has regulated PFAS in drinking water and also the first time the EPA has issued drinking water standards in over 25 years without explicit congressional action required.
“After experiencing first hand the dangers of these chemicals, losing my husband and suffering from cancer myself, I have realized the importance of having strong environmental standards,” shared National PFAS Contamination Coalition Co-Facilitator Sandy Wynn-Stelt. “I applaud the EPA and the Biden administration for the tireless work and their focus on science to drive policy. This is an important step in protecting human health and the environment.”
PFAS are a class of over 14,000 chemicals and primarily used as convenience chemicals for its stain- and water-resistance properties. In the United States, PFAS contamination impacts over 200 million people’s drinking water sources, and PFAS have been detected in 99% of American bodies.
The coalition celebrates this hard-fought win as one significant step in a longer journey. “We will continue to fight for justice for the victims of PFAS exposure, regulation of PFAS as a class, and turning off the tap of contamination to ensure a contamination crisis of this scale never happens again” remarked NPCC co-facilitator Dana Colihan.
Responses from community members impacted by PFAS contamination around the country:
Emily Donovan of Clean Cape Fear in Wilmington, NC: “We learned about GenX and other PFAS in our tap water over six years ago. I raised my children on this water and watched loved ones suffer from rare or recurrent cancers. No one should ever worry if their tap water will make them sick or give them cancer. I’m grateful the Biden EPA kept its promise to the American people. We will keep fighting until all exposures to PFAS end and the chemical companies responsible for business-related human rights abuses are held fully accountable.”
Laurene Allen of Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water in Merrimack, NH: “Today, we celebrate a milestone in our fight to ensure clean, safe drinking water for all. The EPA’s action on PFAS is a testament to the power of advocacy and the relentless push for environmental justice. While this is a significant achievement, our work is far from over. We will continue to advocate for the regulation of all toxic PFAS chemicals.”
Linda Robles of Mothers Safe Air Safe Water Force in Tucson, AZ: “For the last 7 decades, AFFF went unseen and unregulated by the federal government before they took action to regulate them. Generations of community residents on Tucson Southside and tribes had to contend with AFFF groundwater contamination, and an uncertain future. Today I am overwhelmed with joy that the EPAs took those final steps to regulate PFAS in our nation’s drinking water. The new rule will provide our communities with a safe drinking water future, and a healthier and certain future for us and generations to come. Thank you EPA. I’m right there with you.”
Andrea Amico of Testing for Pease in Portsmouth, NH: “10 years ago I first learned of my family’s exposure to PFAS and was shocked that there were no laws or protections in place to regulate these toxic chemicals in drinking water. One of the reasons I have continued to advocate for PFAS regulations over the last decade is to put protections in place so that another family would not have to experience the pain and devastation that I felt when I learned my family drank highly contaminated water. I am proud that 10 years later, grassroots community advocacy has significantly contributed to the EPA implementing MCLs that will save lives and protect families from these harmful chemicals in their drinking water.”
Kyle Horton of On Your Side Action in Wilmington, NC: “These drinking water standards are a huge milestone in confronting the public health crisis of PFAS pollution. Clean, safe drinking water should be a right. Undoubtedly, health professionals in PFAS-contaminated communities all over the country are celebrating this monumental action, which will prevent countless PFAS-related illnesses and save lives.”
Tony Spaniola of Need Our Water (NOW) in Oscoda, MI: “This is a monumental victory for the American people.Grounded in science, driven by tireless advocates, and delivered by President Biden and his team, these PFAS drinking water standards will save the lives of countless Americans for generations to come. Thank you to President Biden for his courageous leadership. Thank you to the EPA for its diligent work. And thank you to our friends and allies in communities across the country for never giving up. Together, we have shown that government can work for all of us.”
Cheryl Cail, Acting Chief, Waccamaw Indian People and of Idle No More SC in Myrtle Beach, SC: “This is a historic step by the EPA and the Biden Administration, which has been long overdue! There is still much work to be done to ensure that compliance to the new standards are equitable and effective for all communities. The victory is bittersweet, as I reflect on tribal and community members who have suffered, and those who have passed on. But, with these first steps to protect people and our drinking water from the harmful effects of PFAS, today we can celebrate.” In Honor of Chief Ralph Justice Oxendine, Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians. (2/1/1955-1/7/2024)
Jennifer Rawlison of Newburgh Clean Water Project in Newburgh, NY: “As a mother and lifelong resident from a PFAS impacted community, today not only recognizes the EPA’s continued commitment to protecting the public from harmful PFAS exposure but the hard work that so many impacted individuals have hoped to accomplish. May this action be just one of many steps to protecting families across the nation and environmental justice communities such as mine who carry an even heavier burden. This decision ensures a safer, healthier future for all.”
Stel Bailey of Fight for Zero in Cocoa, FL: “PFAS contamination harms communities across the U.S., and the EPA’s final drinking water standards are a step in the right direction, one that tries to protect people not profits.”
Ayesha Khan & Jaime Honkawa of Nantucket PFAS Action Group in Nantucket, MA: “This is a long overdue, critical first step that will help protect millions of Americans from toxic PFAS in drinking water. However, this will continue to be a global catastrophe until we stop allowing the sale and manufacturing of all PFAS. We must continue advocating for class regulation, a ban on non-essential uses, and industry accountability for remediation”
Joanne Stanton of Buxmont Coalition for Safer Water in Warminster, PA: “Today’s historic announcement by the EPA is a huge victory for all Americans and a cause for celebration! It highlights the strong leadership at the EPA and sends a powerful message to polluters, like the Department of Defense and Chemours, that these toxic “forever chemicals” have NO safe level. This drinking water standard will save countless lives from cancer and other debilitating illnesses associated with PFAS and fulfills President Biden’s campaign promise to protect public health and secure environmental justice. Thank you to the White House, the EPA, the Environmental Working Group, and fellow community advocates I have been privileged to work with on this issue over the past decade.”
Hope Grosse of Buxmont Coalition for Safe Water in Warminster, PA: “I am beyond relieved that finally this “Historical federal MCL for PFAS has been established.” I am an affected community member, a mom, an advocate, and a grassroots leader, this has been a long 10-year journey. This is an emotional day, a day that gives me hope and faith in our leaders. I am totally grateful that our children and grandchildren will have clean drinking water. This movement has just begun, and we have more work to do, and more PFAS to ban. Thank you, President Biden and your administration, EPA and especially to our local advocates who have spent endless time away from our families to help protect public health for all Americans.”
Arnie Leriche of Wurtsmith Restoration Advisory Board in Oscoda, MI: “These six drinking water standards are a huge step forward in our national and local fight against direct human exposure to PFAS. Our communities in northern Michigan celebrate the upcoming completion of these 6 standards and the federal agencies such as President Biden and EPA. However, there are two federal employees who also deserve recognition at this time because they recently retired from their agencies but played some of the most significant responsibilities, but most difficult roles in the PFAS MCLs’ development. I applaud their professionalism during several contentious battles for MCL’s justification in Congressional hearings in 2017-2021. Both agency Directors Dr. Linda Birnbaum (NIEH) and Dr. Patrick Breysse (ATSDR) of their agencies on several occasions were instrumental in the development and approval of science-based research for human health exposure research which are the basis of these Drinking Water MCLs. They were outstanding, professional and effective in testifying on the validity and need for PFAS control and their MCLs. We are indebted to you!”
Brenda Hampton of Concerned Citizens of WMEL Water Authority in Courtland, AL: “This is a fantastic day for the fight against PFAS. I discovered the effects and destruction these forever chemicals have caused humans and animals while living downstream from twenty-seven industrial plants–including 3M, Daikin, and Ascend.”
Lawrence Higgins of Fairfield Water Concerned Citizens in Fairfield, ME: “In 2020 we found that our well water was contaminated with PFAS from the spreading of sludge onto the farm fields as fertilizer. Fairfield has some of the highest contaminated well water in the U.S. ranging over 40,000 ppt. We organized our community, and forced the DEP to listen to us about how this contamination was affecting everyday families like ours. One person can not stand up to large polluters and government bureaucracy, but communities can. We asked for zero PFAS as a target standard in drinking water and we were told it was impossible. Now look how far we have come. With help from everyone, we can do even better for our next generations.”
Adam Nordell of Songbird Farm in Unity, ME: “The EPA and the Biden Administration should be applauded for taking courageous steps to get PFAS out of municipal drinking water supplies. The new MCLs will have cascading benefits measured in the improved health, quality of life, and economic productivity of communities across the country who are currently suffering from the impacts of exposure to these chemicals. Huge kudos to the Biden Administration for extending clean drinking water funding to the residents of rural America, who are not served by public water supplies and are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to dealing with contaminated water. People whose residential wells have been poisoned with PFAS by sludge land-application and the AFFF plumes near airports and military bases are disproportionately likely to be low income and people of color too often they are asked to bear the ongoing costs of PFAS contamination in ruined health. Today that starts to change.”
Liz Rosenbaum & Mark Favors of Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition in Fountain, CO: “We have been working towards a non-detect for all PFAS chemicals in drinking water supplies and holding chemical manufacturers responsible for the costs communities are incurring in filtering out these harmful chemicals. We applaud President Biden and the EPA for finally taking the required initial steps needed to start helping protect Americans from toxic PFAS chemicals in their drinking water. And let us not forget those who suffered negative health effects and lives lost to toxic PFAS chemicals in their drinking water, especially our military service members and their families.
Cindy Boyle of Marinette, WI: “Safer water and peace of mind are finally at hand thanks to the Biden administration’s EPA and its persistent commitment to tackle a forever problem, PFAS! Wisconsin residents will finally be able to trust that their public drinking water is safe from 6 of the most well researched PFAS compounds. While 1/3 of Wisconsinites with private groundwater wells continue to advocate for the same protection, this critical EPA drinking water standard gives credence to our cries and brings us all one step closer to safe drinking water FOR ALL!”
Tamela Trussell, Founder of Move Past Plastic (MPP) in Carlisle, PA: “Whether fed with a bottle, breast milk, sippy cups, or single-use plastic bottles, growing fetuses, babies, and children can not escape drinking PFAS. Because of the dedication of many advocates over 25 years, the EPA has finally set new PFAS maximum contamination levels for public drinking water. This is just the start of the actions needed to protect our most vulnerable population from health harm and lack of cognitive and physical vitality due to PFAS contamination.”
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National PFAS Contamination Coalition 