April 2021

The nation’s top PFAS manufacturers executed a lobbying and campaign donation blitz in recent years as the federal government attempted to regulate the toxic compounds.

A Guardian analysis of campaign finance records found spending on PFAS issues jumped as lawmakers introduced over 100 new pieces of legislation in 2019 and 2020, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed strong new restrictions. Observers say the results are clear: industry’s congressional allies defeated nearly all PFAS legislation while the Trump EPA killed, watered down or slowalked new rules that never went into effect. Read more…

ALBANY — A former in-house attorney for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, which owns a manufacturing plant in Hoosick Falls that contaminated the village’s water supplies with a toxic chemical, alleges he was fired last year after he pushed leaders of the corporation to fully investigate whether their other U.S. plants may have polluted public water supplies with a manmade polymer.

The attorney, Amiel Gross, worked for Saint-Gobain for six years at its headquarters in Malvern, Pa., including on litigation involving toxic pollution. In a whistleblower complaint he filed with the U.S. Department of Labor earlier this month, Gross alleges the company’s CEO and other top officials labeled him a “troublemaker” and dissuaded him from doing an investigation. Read more…

A first-of-its-kind database assembles hundreds of toxicology studies on 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The database is aimed at assisting communities exposed to PFAS contamination and helping policy makers access scientific literature on these substances, says Katherine E. Pelch, a professor at the University of North Texas School of Public Health. “We’ve heard conflicting stories over how much data is available” on the hazards of various PFAS, she tells C&EN. To help settle this issue, Pelch led a team that assembled the PFAS-Tox Database. The database contains the findings from peer-reviewed studies that identify toxicity or that document no significant adverse effects from exposure to specific PFAS or mixtures containing them, she says. The 29 chemicals in the database have been detected in people or the environment. They include commercial replacements for perfluoro­octanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, both once widely used. They also include fluorochemical industrial by-products such as Nafion by-product 2, which forms during the manufacture of Chemours’s Nafion sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene–based ionic polymers. Pelch and her colleagues plan to update the database regularly. Read more…

Environmental groups and local residents in the Metro East want state lawmakers to pass legislation that would ban the incineration of a toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS.

The bill by Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, which advanced on Wednesday, would prohibit disposing of any PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through burning, mirroring a law in New York.

PFAS refers broadly to thousands of synthetic chemicals found in common household products like nonstick cookware, clothing and stain repellent for carpet. It’s also one of the main components of many firefighting foams stored at municipal and military installations.

It has been linked to groundwater contamination, and exposure can cause cancer and other serious health ailments. Read more…

The California Assembly took another step to protect Californians from toxic, “forever” PFAS chemicals by passing  Assembly Bill 1200 (Ting) today.  AB 1200 would help make our food and our environment safer by banning the use of toxic, “forever” PFAS chemicals in food-packaging made from plant-derived fibers, building on food packaging legislation passed last year in New York and last year’s passage of SB 1044 in California, phasing out PFAS in firefighting foam. The bill would also require disclosure of the use of chemicals like PFAS and bisphenols (BPA, BPS, etc.) in cookware such as pots and pans. Finally, the bill would ban misleading claims on cookware such as “PFOA-free” or “BPA-free” when other chemicals in the same chemical family have been used on the products. Read more…

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) introduced bicameral legislation to allow people exposed to the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS to sue manufacturers for the cost of regular medical monitoring to detect health problems associated with the chemicals.

“The diseases linked to PFAS exposure – cancer, reproductive harm, immune system harm and more – can take years to develop,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group. “Allowing people who have been exposed to PFAS to sue for the cost of medical monitoring is critical to securing justice for the victims of PFAS pollution.” Read more…

PORTSMOUTH – Members of the Pease Community Assistance Panel will be putting up lawn signs and distributing brochures on Saturday to boost enrollment in the first federal health study on adults and children exposed to dangerous PFAS chemicals.

Pease CAP member Andrea Amico said the volunteers are participating in the initiative to “raise awareness about the health study and hopefully increase enrollment in it.” Read more…

The California Assembly took another step to protect Californians from toxic, “forever” PFAS chemicals by passing  Assembly Bill 1200 (Ting) today.  AB 1200 would help make our food and our environment safer by banning the use of toxic, “forever” PFAS chemicals in food-packaging made from plant-derived fibers, building on food packaging legislation passed last year in New York and last year’s passage of SB 1044 in California, phasing out PFAS in firefighting foam. The bill would also require disclosure of the use of chemicals like PFAS and bisphenols (BPA, BPS, etc.) in cookware such as pots and pans. Finally, the bill would ban misleading claims on cookware such as “PFOA-free” or “BPA-free” when other chemicals in the same chemical family have been used on the products. Read more…

Deny. Distract. Delay.

These are well known tactics of the chemical industry, including the producers of PFAS. For example, 3M denies there is a causal connection between any health outcomes and PFAS, even well known bad actors like PFOA. And industry scientists try to delay action by urging evaluation of PFAS individually, instead of as one class (as called for by leading scientists in the field). But we don’t need to get trapped in industry’s games, science shows us it is beyond time to act to protect public health. Read more…