PFOA Archives

PFOA

October 19, 2022

PFAS contaminating 83% of tested waterways, study finds

Clean water advocacy groups said this week that they have found toxins linked to cancer and other health problems in more than 80% of tested watersheds around the United States, adding to the growing body of evidence about the pervasiveness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

Results of the study, which was carried out by the nonprofit organization Waterkeeper Alliance, were released Tuesday. The group said PFAS toxins were detected in 95 of 114 watersheds tested, and some samples were found to contain levels of PFAS thousands of times higher than the levels considered safe for drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.)

Maryland, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida were among the states with the highest number of water samples containing PFAS.

The results “demonstrate that existing laws are inadequate for protecting us,” said Marc Yaggi, CEO of Waterkeeper Alliance.

The study is the first nationwide surface water quality survey to measure PFAS, and probably the most extensive survey of PFAS presence in surface waters that has ever been conducted in the US, according to the group.

One type of PFAS known as PFOA is considered a likely human carcinogen. Another type, PFOS, is known to accumulate in humans and cause liver damage and birth defects in lab animals. Both were detected in 69% of samples.

The report noted that PFOA was detected above the EPA Interim Health Advisory Level of 0.004 ppt in samples taken in waterways located in 26 states and D.C. The highest level detected was 847 ppt in a sample from Kreutz Creek, Pennsylvania. PFOS was detected above the EPA advisory levels in 28 states and D.C. The highest level detected was 1,364.7 ppt in a sample from Piscataway Creek, Maryland.

April 26, 2022

Interview: Lawyer Rob Bilott on PFAS “worldwide public health threat” and his letter to President Biden

Last month, an Ohio court certified a class action lawsuit brought by lawyer Rob Bilott that would cover seven million people – and at some point potentially everyone living in the United States – who have been exposed to certain hazardous chemicals known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or PFAS. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, kidney disease and a range of other human health problems. They are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, persisting indefinitely in the environment. Two types of PFAS – PFOA and PFOS – have been found to be so harmful that they are being phased out of use. In addition to 3M, the class action lawsuit names ten other companies that produce PFAS, which are used to make cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics, firefighting foam and other products. The Biden administration last year pledged to undertake a massive PFAS mitigation strategy at a cost of more than $10 billion.

You have spent 20 some years now focused on exposing the danger of a class of chemicals we call PFAS, using litigation to try to hold companies involved in spreading PFAS accountable, and pressuring regulators to step up and do more to protect the public. You’ve written a book, “Exposure,” been featured in the NY Times as “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” and your legal battle has been made into a Hollywood movie called “Dark Waters,” as well as a documentary. Why are you so passionate about this issue?