(AGENPARL) – mer 10 aprile 2024 Issued: Apr 10, 2024 (5:00am EDT)
If you wish to unsubscribe please do so
here: http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iqz6hAvLdUl-2FaSixKUG3iyFJBsxNAroAZOQ1BID8fKIiLAUfJX2sQlhu1tzKAOIu-2BU84uzAzSpWvmWyHnsNJDRYXWx5dlMz75Zp9ch-2BQlG6mQHPYjReZhS13hvd5qOopngcm_-2B0Ok6Af7hyz7Kqg6CR74pYblAA1WjrUjKSJUAiv3NOub0DC4O7JPWGxIlQ7kBB-2FSjvx0k-2BOjkpVjS6vG6gybrIR5taABu7hxx2fXwZPXgoTFxReAC31yfyuV8ZYQfayPS9CImtxvl-2FN9A3tx1USxboW2vZmM88xaeMyI67kj0zeFO7erPwJpuUT-2FyUP9lycuR6F79GGqWBPWhNU483uCQ4U74txpk-2FpgUvUoUTQF7KvUvmw-2BUD-2FBKnCEp55RC044llbLdc0yCiqnvFnLCUrzMQ-3D-3D
Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes First-Ever National Drinking Water
Standard to Protect 100M People from PFAS Pollution
As part of the Administration’s commitment to combating PFAS pollution, EPA
announces $1B investment through President Biden’s Investing in America
agenda to address PFAS in drinking water
WASHINGTON – Today, April 10, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the
first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect
communities from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Exposure to PFAS has been
linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and
developmental damage to infants and children. This final rule represents the
most significant step to protect public health under EPA’s PFAS Strategic
Roadmap. The final rule will reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100
million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of
serious illnesses. Today’s announcement complements President Biden’s
government-wide action plan to combat PFAS pollution.               
                                              
Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, EPA is also making
unprecedented funding available to help ensure that all people have clean and
safe water. In addition to today’s final rule, EPA is announcing nearly $1
billion in newly available funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
to help states and territories implement PFAS testing and treatment at public
water systems and to help owners of private wells address PFAS contamination.
This is part of a $9 billion investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law to help communities with drinking water impacted by PFAS and other
emerging contaminants – the largest-ever investment in tackling PFAS
pollution. An additional $12 billion is available through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law for general drinking water improvements, including
addressing emerging contaminants like PFAS.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join White House Council on Environmental
Quality Chair Brenda Mallory to announce the final standard today at an event
in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 2017, area residents learned that the Cape
Fear River, the drinking water source for 1 million people in the region, had
been heavily contaminated with PFAS pollution from a nearby manufacturing
facility. Today’s announcements will help protect communities like
Fayetteville from further devastating impacts of PFAS.
“Drinking water contaminated with PFAS has plagued communities across this
country for too long,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “That is
why President Biden has made tackling PFAS a top priority, investing historic
resources to address these harmful chemicals and protect communities
nationwide. Our PFAS Strategic Roadmap marshals the full breadth of EPA’s
authority and resources to protect people from these harmful forever
chemicals. Today, I am proud to finalize this critical piece of our Roadmap,
and in doing so, save thousands of lives and help ensure our children grow up
healthier.”  
“President Biden believes that everyone deserves access to clean, safe
drinking water, and he is delivering on that promise,” said Brenda Mallory,
Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The first
national drinking water standards for PFAS marks a significant step towards
delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing
environmental justice, protecting communities, and securing clean water for
people across the country.”
“Under President Biden’s leadership, we are taking a whole-of-government
approach to tackle PFAS pollution and ensure that all Americans have access to
clean, safe drinking water. Today’s announcement by EPA complements these
efforts and will help keep our communities safe from these toxic ‘forever
chemicals,’” said Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer
Moonshot, Dr. Danielle Carnival. “Coupled with the additional $1 billion
investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help
communities address PFAS pollution, the reductions in exposure to toxic
substances delivered by EPA’s standards will further the Biden Cancer
Moonshot goal of reducing the cancer death rate by at least half by 2047 and
preventing more than four million cancer deaths — and stopping cancer before
it starts by protecting communities from known risks associated with exposure
to PFAS and other contaminants, including kidney and testicular cancers, and
more.”
EPA is taking a signature step to protect public health by establishing
legally enforceable levels for several PFAS known to occur individually and as
mixtures in drinking water. This rule sets limits for five individual PFAS:
PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA (also known as “GenX Chemicals”). The
rule also sets a limit for mixtures of any two or more of four PFAS: PFNA,
PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX chemicals.” By reducing exposure to PFAS, this
final rule will prevent thousands of premature deaths, tens of thousands of
serious illnesses, including certain cancers and liver and heart impacts in
adults, and immune and developmental impacts to infants and children.
This final rule advances President Biden’s commitment to ending cancer as we
know it as part of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, to ensuring that all Americans
have access to clean, safe, drinking water, and to furthering the Biden-Harris
Administration’s commitment to environmental justice by protecting
communities that are most exposed to toxic chemicals.
EPA estimates that between about 6% and 10% of the 66,000 public drinking
water systems subject to this rule may have to take action to reduce PFAS to
meet these new standards. All public water systems have three years to
complete their initial monitoring for these chemicals. They must inform the
public of the level of PFAS measured in their drinking water. Where PFAS is
found at levels that exceed these standards, systems must implement solutions
to reduce PFAS in their drinking water within five years.
The new limits in this rule are achievable using a range of available
technologies and approaches including granular activated carbon, reverse
osmosis, and ion exchange systems. For example, the Cape Fear Public Utility
Authority, serving Wilmington, NC – one of the communities most heavily
impacted by PFAS contamination – has effectively deployed a granular
activated carbon system to remove PFAS regulated by this rule. Drinking water
systems will have flexibility to determine the best solution for their
community.
EPA will be working closely with state co-regulators in supporting water
systems and local officials to implement this rule. In the coming weeks, EPA
will host a series of webinars to provide information to the public,
communities, and water utilities about the final PFAS drinking water
regulation. To learn more about the webinars, please visit EPA’s PFAS
drinking water regulation webpage. EPA has also published a toolkit of
communications resources to help drinking water systems and community leaders
educate the public about PFAS, where they come from, their health risks, how
to reduce exposure, and about this rule.
“We are thankful that Administrator Regan and the Biden Administration are
taking this action to protect drinking water in North Carolina and across the
country,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “We asked for this
because we know science-based standards for PFAS and other compounds are
desperately needed.”
“For decades, the American people have been exposed to the family of
incredibly toxic ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS with no protection from
their government. Those chemicals now contaminate virtually all Americans from
birth. That’s because for generations, PFAS chemicals slid off of every
federal environmental law like a fried egg off a Teflon pan — until Joe
Biden came along,” said Environmental Working Group President and Co-Founder
Ken Cook. “We commend EPA Administrator Michael Regan for his tireless
leadership to make this decision a reality, and CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory for
making sure PFAS is tackled with the ‘whole of government’ approach
President Biden promised. There is much work yet to be done to end PFAS
pollution. The fact that the EPA has adopted the very strong policy announced
today should give everyone confidence that the Biden administration will stay
the course and keep the president’s promises, until the American people are
protected, at long last, from the scourge of PFAS pollution.”
“We learned about GenX and other PFAS in our tap water six years ago. I
raised my children on this water and watched loved ones suffer from rare or
recurrent cancers. No one should ever worry if their tap water will make them
sick or give them cancer. I’m grateful the Biden EPA heard our pleas and
kept its promise to the American people. We will keep fighting until all
exposures to PFAS end and the chemical companies responsible for
business-related human rights abuses are held fully accountable,” said Emily
Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear.
More details about funding to address PFAS in Drinking Water
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is making an unprecedented $21
billion available to strengthen our nation’s drinking water systems,
including by addressing PFAS contamination. Of that, $9 billion is
specifically for tackling PFAS and emerging contaminants. The financing
programs delivering this funding are part of President Biden’s Justice40
Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain
federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that have been
historically marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Additionally, EPA has a nationwide Water Technical Assistance program to help
small, rural, and disadvantaged communities access federal resources by
working directly with water systems to identify challenges like PFAS; develop
plans; build technical, managerial, and financial capacity; and apply for
water infrastructure funding. Learn more about EPA’s Water Technical
Assistance programs.
More details about the final PFAS drinking water standards:
For PFOA and PFOS, EPA is setting a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal, a
non-enforceable health-based goal, at zero. This reflects the latest science
showing that there is no level of exposure to these contaminants without risk
of health impacts, including certain cancers.
EPA is setting enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels at 4.0 parts per
trillion for PFOA and PFOS, individually. This standard will reduce exposure
from these PFAS in our drinking water to the lowest levels that are feasible
for effective implementation.
For PFNA, PFHxS, and “GenX Chemicals,” EPA is setting the MCLGs and MCLs
at 10 parts per trillion.
Because PFAS can often be found together in mixtures, and research shows these
mixtures may have combined health impacts, EPA is also setting a limit for any
mixture of two or more of the following PFAS: PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and “GenX
Chemicals.”
EPA is issuing this rule after reviewing extensive research and science on how
PFAS affects public health, while engaging with the water sector and with
state regulators to ensure effective implementation. EPA also considered
120,000 comments on the proposed rule from a wide variety of stakeholders.
Background:
PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals,’ are prevalent in the environment.
PFAS are a category of chemicals used since the 1940s to repel oil and water
and resist heat, which makes them useful in everyday products such as nonstick
cookware, stain resistant clothing, and firefighting foam. The science is
clear that exposure to certain PFAS over a long period of time can cause
cancer and other illnesses.  In addition, PFAS exposure during critical life
stages such as pregnancy or early childhood can also result in adverse health
impacts.
Across the country, PFAS contamination is impacting millions of people’s
health and wellbeing. People can be exposed to PFAS through drinking water or
food contaminated with PFAS, by coming into contact with products that contain
PFAS, or through workplace exposures in certain industries.
Since EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the PFAS Strategic Roadmap
in October 2021, EPA has taken action – within the Biden-Harris
Administration’s whole-of-government approach – by advancing science and
following the law to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and
hold polluters accountable. The actions described in the PFAS Strategic
Roadmap each represent important and meaningful steps to protect communities
from PFAS contamination. Cumulatively, these actions will build upon one
another and lead to more enduring and protective solutions. In December 2023,
the EPA released its second annual report on PFAS progress. The report
highlights significant accomplishments achieved under the EPA’s PFAS
Strategic Roadmap.
To unsubscribe or change your settings click here:
http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=u001.iqz6hAvLdUl-2FaSixKUG3iyFJBsxNAroAZOQ1BID8fKKhIILjisBDEktm3-2BIos9X6ejlQM-2Fj9OWrsahSBgyvi1UtiqsMzzxQqiyMeqbKPr91-2FbrHC4Rua-2FvSEwiReOUjCMjfHK95XrBadAJaNSfGL3A-3D-3Dh6du_-2B0Ok6Af7hyz7Kqg6CR74pYblAA1WjrUjKSJUAiv3NOub0DC4O7JPWGxIlQ7kBB-2FSjvx0k-2BOjkpVjS6vG6gybrIR5taABu7hxx2fXwZPXgoRemKRzOqNKiCVsx-2BSZe-2BlLJBwSod7mrTuPKZPjbRCuE80FviJ7WQUf9VPb4KtiVe5glTJTbiZ5Rn26IjrC0K7EJu8RxZl183eEPFfBAFfUMQxzHOGWvCK416AZqHosyIGyWBBJGoChZS0VcwnwV3ZOXwuoAvtCxVLMEho2MLDvgw-3D-3D