In an article published on March 7, 2019, non-governmental organization The Environmental Working Group (EWG) “identified and mapped 106 military sites in the U.S. where drinking water or groundwater is contaminated with fluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances], at levels that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s health guideline.” The article calls specifically for banning PFAS from firefighting foams and also “from consumer products, including cookware, food packaging, cosmetics, carpeting and clothing.” Eight states in the U.S. are currently considering policies to remove or reduce PFAS in food packaging (FPF reported).
EWG further called for U.S. authorities to stop approving any new PFAS chemicals, arguing that “more than 4,000 PFAS chemicals exist, so there’s no reason for the EPA or the Food and Drug Administration to let any more on the market.” They also propose classifying PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law to advance further clean up of contaminated sites, setting “an enforceable limit for PFAS in tap water,” and creating a “clean up trust fund”. Unsatisfied with the response by the federal government on the issue, EWG wrote that “state action is essential.”
Read more
EWG (March 6, 2019). “Mapping PFAS chemical contamination at 106 U.S. military sites.”
Lisa Martine Jenkins (March 6, 2019). “NGO researchers call to ban PFASs from firefighting foam.” Chemical Watch
