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In the News, Spring 2024: EPA Announces New Regulations for PFAS
The White House and the EPA have announced regulations limiting the amounts of six types of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that can be present in drinking water. PFAS are toxic chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment today and are used in the manufacture of food packaging, clothing, cookware, and numerous other consumer products. It has been estimated these chemicals pollute more than 80% of US waterways, and they have been found in the blood of most Americans.
The EPA set advisory limits for PFAS in 2021 but was powerless at that time to enforce them; the new regulations will be mandated as national standards. Under the new rule, water utilities will be given three years to test for PFAS levels and make the results public. They must use PFAS filtration systems or other methods to reduce the amount of these toxins to almost undetectable levels within five years.
Although there are more than 12,000 known PFAS and the new regulations apply to only six of them, the agency said that efforts to remove these from the water supply will likely reduce the presence of others as well.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides a database for those getting their water from a public utility, whereby one can learn about their water’s toxicity.
SOURCE:
Bugos C. EPA imposes limit on PFAS in drinking water for the first time. Verywell Health, updated April 14, 2024. verywellhealth.com/epa-pfas-limits-drinking-water-8630418.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Spring 2024 | Volume 48, Number 1
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