The Biden administration is launching a broad strategy to regulate industrial compounds associated with serious health conditions that are used in products ranging from cookware to carpets and firefighting foams, reports NOLA.com.
Michael Regan, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said it is taking a series of actions to limit pollution from a cluster of long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS that are increasingly turning up in public drinking water systems, private wells and even food.
The plan is intended to restrict PFAS from being released into the environment, accelerate cleanup of PFAS-contaminated sites such as military bases and increase investments in research to learn more about where PFAS are found and how their spread can be prevented.
PFAS, called “forever chemicals” because they last so long in the environment, have been associated with serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight. Under the strategy, the EPA would move to set aggressive drinking water limits for PFAS, require PFAS manufacturers to report on how toxic their products are, and potentially force companies responsible for the contamination to pay for the cleanup work or do it themselves. Read the entire story.
