PFAS


ennifer Sharp/iStock

PFAS Contamination Is an Equity Issue, and President Trump’s EPA Is Failing to Fix It

, Lead science and policy analyst

October 30, 2019 8:49 AM EDT

We have a big national PFAS contamination problem. PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances— are a class of man-made chemicals that are used in a variety of products to repel water and grease, including firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, and food packaging. These chemicals have been linked to health effects including various forms of cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, and increased cholesterol levels. While we’re all exposed to some degree, who’s most at risk of being harmed? Read more >

ennifer Sharp/iStock
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Another Believer/CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia)

Science Workshop on PFAS Highlights the Need for Government Action

, Lead science and policy analyst

September 30, 2019 3:06 PM EDT

I spent Thursday and Friday of last week at the National Academies of Science Environmental Health Matters Initiatives (EHMI) workshop, “Identifying Opportunities to Understand, Control, and Prevent Exposure to PFAS” which brought together scientists, community members, NGOs, regulators, and industry representatives to think about some of the challenges and potential solutions related to the PFAS contamination issue plaguing our country. Read more >

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Here’s What Congress Should Ask When Industry Tries to Spread PFAS Disinformation Today

, Lead science and policy analyst

September 10, 2019 1:05 PM EDT

At a hearing tomorrow in the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the primary makers and users of PFOA and PFOS, 3M, DuPont, and Chemours, will be testifying about their roles in the PFAS contamination fiasco. This follows a July hearing featuring the voices of community members and state agencies who have been impacted by the failure of these companies to control releases of these substances for decades. Read more >

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Why the PFAS Industry Should Ditch the Disinformation Playbook and “Do the Right Thing”

, Lead science and policy analyst

July 26, 2019 12:59 PM EDT

The House Oversight and Reform Committee, Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing this week titled, The Devil They Knew: PFAS Contamination and the Need for Corporate Accountability. The testimony of three people whose lives have been upended by exposure to PFAS chemicals was powerful and heart wrenching. DuPont and 3M should have been in the room. But seeing as they have been absent from communities except when legally compelled to be, they were not there to hear about the vast human cost they have caused by their suppression of science, stymieing of regulation, and foot-dragging on cleanup efforts. Read more >

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PFAS Amendments Form a Blueprint for Remedying National Toxic Threat

, Lead science and policy analyst

July 11, 2019 1:42 PM EDT

The House of Representatives will vote today on the inclusion of several PFAS-related amendments to the House National Defense Authorization Act that will help us to understand the extent of the PFAS public health threat and its health impacts, limit current PFAS pollution, and clean up legacy contamination on DOD and Superfund sites and nearby communities. These are all commonsense measures that should have already been in place to protect us from these chemicals, but because of a failure of our regulatory system and industry hiding scientific data on its products, we have waited too long for policy remedies. Read more >

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