Today, the EPA announced the first-ever action plan to address the toxic water crisis affecting millions of Americans, but the plan does nothing to support residents and workers who have been drinking contaminated water for decades.
“The EPA action plan will only address two of the thousands of known PFAS chemicals and does nothing to support the communities who have been drinking contaminated water,” said Laura Olah, Executive Director of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB).
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that are linked to kidney disorders, reproductive cancers, autoimmune disorders and more. The chemicals are estimated to be in the drinking water of at least 110 million Americans.
“EPA does not propose any actions to prevent the continued manufacture, production and use of PFAS – in fact, over the last decade, EPA has registered and approved the use of more than 600 new forms of PFAS,” Olah said. “We cannot stop the flood of PFAS until EPA turns off the tap.”
CSWAB has organized a statewide initiative on PFAS in response to the discovery of industrial sites like the Tyco/Johnson Controls facilities in Marinette, Wisconsin that is the source of widespread PFAS groundwater contamination, threatening nearby fisheries and affecting residential wells. So far, at least 36 families have been exposed to PFAS in their drinking water. The highest concentration detected in a private well was 1900 ng/L, far above the EPA’s Health Advisory Level of 70 ng/L (parts per trillion).
Other Wisconsin sites that are sources of PFAS groundwater contamination include Madison Air Support Facility (Army National Guard), Truax Field Air National Guard, Volk Field Air National Guard, Fort McCoy Army Installation, General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, General Mitchell Air National Guard base, and West Bend Air Support Facility (Army National Guard).
The potential for even more sites in Wisconsin is unknown as there has been no statewide inventory of likely sources of PFAS contamination such as paper mills, fire training areas, airports, manufacturing facilities and landfills.
Of the more than 11,000 public drinking water systems tested in Wisconsin, only 90 have been tested for PFAS. The one-time testing in 2013-2015 detected PFAS in the La Crosse and Rhinelander public water systems and low levels in the West Bend system. Moreover, these wells were tested for only 6 PFAS analytes in a class of thousands of chemicals.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of more than 5,000 man-made toxic chemicals used to make consumer products resistant to water, grease or stains. Research has shown probable links between PFAS exposure and cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
CSWAB’s petition to #BanPFAS is posted here.