CSWAB submitted formal comments today voicing strong support for the Wisconsin DNR’s proposed plans to address PFAS contamination and calling for immediate testing of all public drinking water systems as the state’s first priority.
“Of the more than 11,000 public water systems in Wisconsin, only 90 have been tested for PFAS,” said CSWAB Executive Director Laura Olah in written testimony today.
“There is growing evidence that babies, even before they are born, are particularly vulnerable to harm from exposure,” Olah emphasized. “PFAS in a mother’s body can move from her blood into her unborn child and from her breastmilk into her breastfed baby. Therefore we ask that this population in particular be a priority consideration in the State’s efforts.”
As part of its testimony, CSWAB also submitted a statement co-signed by 28 groups from around the state supporting the assessment and regulation of PFAS as a class of chemicals.
“Approaching PFAS as a class for assessing exposure and biological impact is the best way to protect public health,” the joint statement says. “Assessing risks of chemicals having a similar mechanism of toxicity is not unusual and is similar to how other chemical groups such as dioxins and PCBs have been assessed and regulated.”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of toxic man-made chemicals that are very persistent and mobile in the environment, creating huge groundwater contaminant plumes that readily migrate miles from source areas.
“PFAS chemicals never occur alone,” Olah emphasized. “They are present in complex mixtures within products, the environment, and people. The PFAS family is incredibly large – numbering in the thousands, with more than 600 in active commercial use.”
CSWAB PFAS Testimony Supporting Scope of Work 12 Nov 2019
CSWAB Joint Statement by 28 Groups on PFAS as Class 4 April 2019
NAS Backs Subclass Review For Flame Retardants, Highlighting PFAS Method by InsideEPA
PFAS Campaign Timeline – CSWAB