WASHINGTON — The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 tackled one nasty problem while unwittingly creating another. Better known as the Clean Water Act, it directed the EPA to enforce the Act’s provisions. This triggered construction of the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) to remove pollutants from sewage. WWTPs ‘clean’ our nation’s municipal sewage to protect human health and the environment. They do a great job of killing germs, but almost all are ill-equipped to remove toxic substances. These include heavy metals and pharmaceuticals. Increasing the primary concern is a growing class of carbon-fluorine chemicals collectively known as PFAS. Invented on the eve of WWII, current estimates are that there are now more than 15,000 variants.
PFAS are chemicals made of carbon molecules tightly bound with fluorine. Used to create products such as firefighting foam, water proofing, and non-stick cookware like Teflon, they are virtually indestructible, earning them the name “forever chemicals.” Now so widely used in manufacturing, our exposure is almost inescapable. Either through direct contact or the food chain, they accumulate in our bodies and are increasingly linked to a growing range of serious health risks. The growing list currently includes cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, liver and kidney damage, and fetal disorders.
PFAS and human health
The EPA has only certified testing methods for forty of these man-made compounds. While the EPA recently established drinking water standards of a few parts per trillion (PPT) for a handful of the oldest versions of PFAS which are mostly out of production, they also assert that they have not found a level of exposure that is absolutely safe.
That is worth repeating: the EPA says there is no safe level of human exposure to PFAS. Their standards are based upon the lowest limits of what they are able to test reliably, plus an assessment of ‘acceptable risk.’
For more information:
https://www.sierraclub.org/atlantic/farm-and-food
–Bonnie Webber
[email protected]
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