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An earlier version of this report did not specify that a 3M spokesperson was referring to particular types of PFAS.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s administration appears poised to crack down on a group of ‘forever chemicals’ that have been linked to a slew of health issues, a move that could put companies like 3M and DuPont on hold. hook for billions of dollars in cleanup costs.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyls – made up of thousands of synthetic chemicals used since the 1940s in food packaging, household cleaners, kitchen utensils and other everyday products – have been linked to cancer, at low weight at birth, immunological effects, disruption of thyroid hormones and increased cholesterol levels.
About 862,000 Americans drink water contaminated with PFAS, according to the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research organization. A recent study from Harvard University found that exposure to these chemicals can increase the severity of COVID-19 in people who have contracted it.
Children whose developmental process could be affected, as well as communities of color, where residents often live near facilities contaminated with PFAS, are particularly vulnerable, environmentalists say.
“There is a definite disproportionate and disparate impact of PFAS exposure in some communities,” said Eve Gartner, lawyer in charge of the toxic exposure and health program at Earthjustice, a nonprofit that advocates for human rights. environmental issues.
Biden has pledged to designate PFAS as hazardous, put a limit on them in drinking water, encourage companies to use alternatives, and speed up research into their toxicity.
Although former President Donald Trump’s administration made similar promises in February 2019 as part of a “PFAS action plan,” it was not until the final hours of his presidency that the Environmental Protection Agency has launched a legal process that could potentially regulate PFAS in drinking water nationwide. The action came after the EPA weakened public health guidelines on PFAS, making it more difficult for the Biden administration to impose regulations. A year ago, the Trump administration also opposed a House bill that would designate PFAS as hazardous substances.
See: House passes bill that could put 3M, other chemical companies ‘billions of dollars in cleanup costs’
3M MMM,
said he would work with the Biden administration to improve water quality for all Americans based on science-based processes and collaboration with stakeholders. But the company, which would be forced, along with other producers, transporting or using PFAS, to pay billions for the cleanup under Biden’s proposed regulations, disagrees with the new administration over the toxicity of PFAS chemicals.
“As the science of PFAS continues to evolve, the weight of scientific evidence does not show that PFOA or PFOS is causing harm to people at current or past levels found in the environment,” a spokesperson said. from 3M in an interview. PFOA and PFOS are types of PFAS.
“We are ready to provide our expertise and scientific knowledge to help the administration achieve positive results for Americans, including remedying PFAS, where applicable. Onerous regulation, political debates and biased, agenda-driven studies will only slow progress, ”he also said.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents companies that produce different forms of PFAS, agrees. The ACC, warning against labeling all PFAS chemicals as toxic, said they are vital to Americans’ daily lives because of their use in everything from communications devices and airplanes to energies alternatives and medical devices, including COVID-19 testing and medical clothing. “Each individual chemistry has its own unique properties and uses, as well as environmental and health profiles,” said ACC.
DuPont DD,
who recently settled a $ 4 billion PFAS lawsuit with other companies, said he supports the EPA in using its authority to set science-based standards like the PFAS Action Plan 2019, who would assess whether PFAS should be regulated more broadly. This plan could designate PFAS as hazardous, develop cleaning recommendations, and monitor drinking water for PFAS.
“We believe that science-based federal standards will provide clear and consistent guidance for all,” said a spokesperson for DuPont.
Environmentalists view the regulations proposed by the Biden administration as a positive step forward that should have started under the Trump administration.
But Earthjustice’s Gartner expects the process of imposing regulations to take years unless the EPA uses its authority to regulate PFAS on an expedited basis. The PFAS 2019 action plan, for example, is the result of a regulatory process launched in 2011.
“It’s time for the EPA to start taking important steps to address this issue,” said Erik Olson, senior strategic director of health and food at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group.
Olson supports Biden’s choice for EPA chief Michael Regan as Regan has had extensive experience managing the PFAS regulatory process since he was head of the Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. in the North, a state heavily affected by PFAS contamination.
Regan has played a key role in holding polluters to account and in trying to ensure communities receive safe drinking water, Gartner said.
In addition to cleaning up PFAS contamination sites, Olson and Gartner said it was imperative to investigate the sources of the substances and set limits to prevent releases before they occur, reducing costs of cleaning.
“We really have to tackle this whole class of chemicals together, because otherwise we’ll be on a toxic treadmill, continually trying to deal with one chemical after another,” said Olson, suggesting that the EPA create a test. for the full range of PFAS. chemical products.
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