PFAS

June 1, 2023

New York fails to protect farmland from PFAS in sewage sludge, report finds

By Shannon Kelleher

Highlighting a practice that compromises farmland nationwide, a new report finds that sewage sludge spread as fertilizer on New York state fields contains toxic chemicals that sicken farmers, contaminate crops, and threaten consumer health. The report, published today by the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, suggests that the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has failed to take measures to prevent these dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from entering the environment through the practice and urges the state to put a stop to it.

“What we are talking about here is the active permitting…of PFAS-contaminated sewer sludge being spread over farmland to create food that we then consume,” said New York state assemblymember Anna Kelles today in a briefing about the report. “It’s literally creating a mechanism to get PFAS to bioaccumulate in human tissue.”

Kelles is working with Senator Rachel May to pass a bill that would require wastewater treatment plants to test effluent for PFAS contamination.

PFAS chemicals are associated with serious health conditions including cancers, thyroid disease, liver damage, and harm to pregnant women and babies. These so-called “forever chemicals” take hundreds of years to break down in the environment and are harmful even in tiny concentrations.
“We’re taking an enormous risk when we spread sludge on farmland,” said Adam Nordell, an organic farmer in Maine. Nordell was forced to learn about the risk firsthand the winter before last, when he and his wife discovered PFAS in their well water at levels 400 times higher than Maine’s interim drinking water standard.

“Our farm had been managed organically for seven years under our management and previously under organic practices for 25 years,” said Nordell in the briefing. “But a prior generation in the early 1990s spread the land with sludge from two wastewater districts for a total of four years.”

A test last spring revealed PFAS levels in Nordell’s blood serum at a staggering 3,500 parts per billion. People with blood serum levels totaling as little as two parts per billion from seven combined PFAS are at risk for adverse effects, according to a 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The problem of PFAS in sewage sludge used to fertilize agricultural fields extends far beyond the Northeast, said Laura Orlando, a senior science advisor with Just Zero, a nonprofit focused on equitable waste solutions.

April 27, 2023

EPA orders Chemours to address toxic PFAS near ‘Dark Waters’ town

By Shannon Kelleher

In the first-ever such enforcement action, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the chemical company Chemours to curb pollution from toxic chemicals its West Virginia plant dumps into the Ohio River.

While per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discharged by the Washington Works facility have long plagued the nearby town of Parkersburg, the EPA said this is the first time it is leveraging the Clean Water Act to hold a company accountable for contaminating its surroundings with these toxic chemicals

“This order demonstrates that EPA will take action to safeguard public health and the environment from these dangerous contaminants,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz said in a press release.

PFAS are a large class of human-made compounds often called “forever chemicals” that break down slowly in the environment and build up in the body over time. Scientific evidence suggests PFAS are linked to risks for a range of cancers, birth defects, and other serious health problems. These dangerous chemicals have become widespread across the US, including in water sources.

Chemours is a spin-off of the chemical company DuPont, which has previously been found liable for cancer incidences tied to polluted the local water in Parkersburg. Attorney Rob Bilott famously exposed DuPont for sickening the community, a story depicted in the 2019 film ‘Dark Waters.’

Bilott is currently leading an ongoing nationwide class action suit against PFAS manufacturers on behalf of people across the US. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood.

The move by the EPA is an “excellent step,” said John Rumpler, clean water program director for the advocacy group Environment America. “But even more steps will be needed and we hope EPA takes them soon,” said Rumpler. “It is long past time for companies like Chemours to be held accountable under the Clean Water Act for releasing these toxic substances into our rivers, lakes and streams.”

A woman with a shaved head pulls back a curtain in a hospital room.

April 14, 2023

The ravages of cancer and a new fight for prevention

A growing understanding that exposure to certain chemicals in the environment may be a huge contributor to rising cancer rates has led to a new coalition of scientists and advocates working to alert the public and push regulators to protect people from carcinogens.

In her upcoming book, A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention, award-winning journalist Kristina Marusic profiles the efforts of those working to advance cancer prevention. The book weaves intimate stories from those dealing with cancer, inspiring work from scientists working to understand chemical exposures, and important context about the ways the US deals with cancer and chemical regulation.

The New Lede sat down with Marusic to discuss why preventing environmental exposures is the next big step in the war against cancer.

March 14, 2023

EPA announces proposed drinking water standards for six toxic PFAS chemicals

By Shannon Kelleher

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday proposed national standards aimed at reducing levels of six harmful chemicals in drinking water. The move was applauded by health and environmental advocates who say the action is long overdue.

The agency said in a press release that if the rule is implemented it will “over time, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.”

The EPA action is part of a larger government move to respond to scientific evidence showing that certain types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are associated with a range of health problems, including a heightened risk of developing cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid disease, decreased immunity, hormone disruption and a range of other serious health problems. PFAS have become nearly ubiquitous in the environment, including in water sources.

The new standards target six types of PFAS. For PFOA and PFOS – types known to be particularly dangerous to human health – the agency said the new rule would require public water systems to ensure levels of PFOA and PFOS do not exceed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of four parts per trillion (ppt). Additionally, the EPA would require public water providers to use a hazard index calculation to determine if combined levels of PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals pose a potential risk.

“Today we can celebrate a huge victory for public health in this country – US EPA is finally moving forward to protect drinking water across the United States by proposing federally-enforceable limits on some of the most toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative chemicals ever found in our nation’s drinking water supply,” US attorney Rob Bilott said in a statement. Bilott has been calling for the EPA to address PFAS in US drinking water in 2001.

“It has taken far too long to get to this point, but the scientific facts and truth about the health threat posed by these man-made poisons have finally prevailed over the decades of corporate cover-ups and misinformation campaigns designed to mislead the public and delay action,” added Bilott.

If finalized, all public drinking water systems will be required to monitor for all six PFAS chemicals and to notify the public and reduce PFAS levels if they exceed the standards.

“It’s not surprising that [EPA under the Biden administration] is doing it,” said Phil Brown, co-director of the PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern University and co-principal investigator of a PFAS research and education project at the Silent Spring Institute, in response to the drinking water standards announcement. “Everyone wishes it had happened a long time ago,” he added.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents the interests of more than 190 chemical companies, called the EPA’s approach “misguided,” and said the new low limits would “likely result in billions of dollars in compliance costs.”

The ACC said it had “serious concerns with the underlying science” used to develop the proposed MCLs, and said the agency was violating its own guidance by combining substances affecting different health endpoints into a single index.

March 8, 2023

Communities wrestle with pricey PFAS clean-up efforts

By Sascha Brodsky

On a recent wintry day, Deborah Brown walked along the edge of Lake Washington in Newburgh, New York, and pointed to a sign warning people not to fish because the waters are known to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.

“You wouldn’t want to eat the fish you catch,” Brown, a member of the Newburgh Clean Water Project, told a visitor.

Newburgh is one of many communities around the United States – indeed, around the world – now grappling with the knowledge that their landscapes and lives have come under threat from a class of chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are being found throughout the environment.

Scientists have linked PFAS exposure to various health problems, including cancer, congenital disabilities, and liver disease. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily and accumulate over time. Studies have estimated PFAS to be present in the blood of an estimated 97% of Americans and in hundreds of species of wildlife around the globe.

Last year, the Biden administration announced plans to “research, restrict, and remediate harmful PFAS,” and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rolled out an array of strategies, including sharply lowering the allowable levels of certain types of PFAS in drinking water. The action is expected to trigger billions of dollars in spending on clean-up efforts across the country.

But for impacted communities, eradicating PFAS contamination – if that is even possible – can’t come fast enough.

March 2, 2023

Chemicals in toilet paper are clogging up our bodies

What we flush down the toilet could be making us sick, according to a new study.

According to research published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, toilet paper could be a significant source of the toxic “forever chemicals” in wastewater. The findings raise public health concerns since wastewater and its by-products are frequently spread on agricultural fields to help grow crops.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a class of chemicals used for their waterproofing and stain-resistant properties. They have been linked to certain cancers, reproductive problems, and developmental issues.

Scientists have known for years that wastewater is a slurry of PFAS from all different sources — soaps, makeup, and residues on clothing can all contain PFAS, which is washed down the drain every time someone showers or washes their clothes. But though PFAS are used in toilet paper manufacturing, toilet paper’s contribution to PFAS contamination in wastewater has been under-studied, according to the paper’s authors.

A polar bear stands against a gray, snowy backdrop.

February 22, 2023

At least 330 species across the globe contaminated with PFAS

A class of chemicals linked to multiple health hazards in humans have been detected in hundreds of wildlife species across the United States, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The report was released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) along with a map demonstrating that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are contaminating wildlife on every continent except Antarctica.

The data adds to several other reports of PFAS contamination in wildlife, and adds to the mounting concerns many researchers have about the long-term health and sustainability of important ecosystems.

“It’s a shocking wake-up call that much more needs to be done to protect wildlife … from the impacts of industrial chemicals,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at EWG and an author of the report.

PFAS are a class of chemicals used in a wide array of industries and products. They are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down in the environment. The chemicals have been linked to an array of human health problems, including certain cancers, reproductive issues and developmental problems.

The map showing the extent of the contamination in wildlife reflects data from 125 peer-reviewed studies of a wide range of species, including fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. PFAS contamination has been documented in polar bears in the Arctic Circle, tigers in China, plankton off the coast of Panama, crocodiles in South Africa, and many more species.

January 19, 2023

Updated approach to regulating chemicals is “urgently needed,” say scientists

By Grace van Deelen

The US regulatory system for chemicals is not adequately protecting human health, and an overhaul is urgently needed, according to recommendations made this week by a group of environmental and health scientists.

In a paper published Thursday in Environmental Science and Technology, the group of 12 researchers criticized the nation’s chemical regulatory system for operating in ways that allow farmers, consumers and others to be exposed to unsafe chemicals on a regular basis.

Adoption of a new, “essential-use” approach is required, the researchers said. The framework proposed asks governments and businesses to assess chemicals using one of three possible questions: 1) “Is the function of the chemical necessary for the product?” 2) “Is the use of the chemical the safest feasible option?” and 3) “Is use of the chemical in the product justified because such use is necessary for health, safety, or the functioning of society?”

Current laws and practices employed by the US Environmental Protection Agency essentially require that a chemical must be proven unsafe to be barred from the market. The proposed system would flip that on its head, similar to the theory of the “precautionary principle,” which considers that a product should be proven safe to be approved.

“The current system of managing chemicals is broken,” said Carol Kwiatkowski, an author of the paper and a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute, an environmental health advocacy group. “The essential-use approach is the first feasible solution that will actually protect people and the environment before extensive damage is done.”

Co-authors include researchers from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the University of Massachusetts, the University of Toronto, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group.

More than 350 000 chemicals and mixtures of chemicals have been registered for production and use, according to a global review published in 2020. Environmental health advocates say not enough is known about the possible adverse effects these chemicals are having on the environment and human health. Many are clearly dangerous for humans exposed to them, including certain types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Some chemicals on the market in the US have been shown to disrupt hormones and impact reproductive health, cause cancers and other diseases and interfere with neurological development, among other harms.

January 12, 2023

Fishing fans take note: New study shows eating what you catch could be hazardous to your health

By Grace van Deelen

People who eat just one US freshwater fish a year are likely to show a significant increase of a cancer-causing chemical in their bloodstream, new research warns.

An analysis of US government data derived from more than 500 fish samples revealed that the majority of freshwater fish in the country are highly contaminated with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels almost 300 times higher than those found in commercially farmed fish, according to the paper published recently in the journal Environmental Research.

Importantly, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), a type of PFAS known to be particularly harmful, was the largest contributor to total PFAS levels found in the fish, averaging 74% of the total, according to the study. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers PFOS a hazardous substance that “may present a substantial danger to human health.”

The research found that eating one serving of fish at the median PFOS contamination level was equivalent to consuming one month’s worth of drinking water contaminated at 2400 times the recommended health advisory limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study determined that “even occasional consumption” of fish meals would likely be a significant source of exposure.

Locally caught fish represent an important US food source, especially for people living on a low income. About 660,000 people in the US eat fish they catch themselves 3 or more times per week.

“Consuming a single freshwater fish could measurably increase PFAS levels in your body,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and one of the authors of the paper. “These fish are incredibly contaminated.”

December 21, 2022

3M sees “writing on the wall,” says it will stop making PFAS

by Shannon Kelleher

The company 3M, which makes over 60,000 products, said Tuesday it will stop manufacturing toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and work to discontinue use of PFAS in its products by the end of 2025.

The announcement comes amid a wave of lawsuits against the company and other manufacturers, alleging the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their products have endangered human health and the environment. Meanwhile, more and more states are banning PFAS in a range of consumer goods, with California recently restricting the chemicals in clothing and cosmetics.

More than 20 years ago, 3M committed to phasing out two PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS. But since then the company has manufactured various other PFAS, which belong to a class of thousands of chemicals.

“We know that 3M has known for decades that PFAS were harmful, said Lydia Jahl, a science and policy associate at the Green Science Policy Institute. “The writing was already on the wall and they’re just responding to that. I think they’re seeing that it’s expensive to produce PFAS because of all these lawsuits.”

Scientists have found that PFAS exposure is linked to a range of health problems, including heightened risk for cancer, birth defects, and liver disease. Part of the chemicals’ danger is also how slowly they degrade and how they accumulate in the body over time. Today, PFAS are present in the blood of an estimated 97% of Americans and have been found in many drinking water systems across the country.

Even as it announced its intention to phase out PFAS in a press release, and despite abundant scientific evidence about the chemicals’ health risks, 3M claimed the chemicals are both safe and necessary.