NRDC Seeks to Defend Biden EPA Restrictions on Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water Water Utilities, Chemical Industry Challenging PFAS Rule

WASHINGTON - NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) moved to intervene to defend the Biden Administration's restrictions on six toxic PFAS chemicals found in drinking water.

The PFAS rule, which affects as many as 105 million people, was finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency in April, and subsequently challenged by the chemical industry, water utilities, and Chemours, a PFAS manufacturer.

"Water from your kitchen tap should be safe to drink, not a source of cancer and other diseases linked to PFAS forever chemicals," said Erik D. Olson, senior strategic director for health at NRDC. "It is outrageous that water utilities - which are supposed to deliver safe water to homes - now have teamed up with the very chemical industry polluters that contaminated our water supplies to try and block this commonsense rule."

PFAS water contamination is widespread, affecting as many as 105 million Americans. NRDC's motion to intervene filed Friday, June 28, 2024, cited concerns about PFAS exposure and potential health effects from members of the organization in five states ­- Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina - along with corresponding water system testing that showed PFAS detections that may exceed the new limits. Earthjustice also filed a motion to intervene to defend the rule on behalf of community groups across the nation impacted by PFAS contamination.

Background:

PFAS forever chemicals are a large class of synthetic chemicals widely used in industry and commerce, found in everythingfrom food processing and packaging to firefighting foam, cosmetics, artificial turf, guitar strings, and much more.

The restrictions on six PFAS forever chemicalsin drinking water announced on April 10, 2024, marks the first time EPA finalized a rule on unregulated contaminants in water in 28 years. The Agency estimates that 83 to 105 million people in the U.S. get their drinking water from water systems contaminated at a level exceeding the standards for the six PFAS.

EPA concluded that there is no safe level of PFOA or PFOS exposure and the new rule sets an enforceable limit of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for each. Four other chemicals -- PFBS, PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX - mostly used as replacements for PFOA and PFOS, will be regulated as a mixture using a "hazard index" approach, and the latter three of these will have individual standards as well.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing, and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.organd follow us on Twitter @NRDC.

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