In April, the Biden administration announced sweeping reforms to the Superfund law, designating two commonly used "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances and holding polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination in communities.
According to the New York Times, the rule will authorize the government to require companies that produce or use two synthetic compounds — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) — to report any releases into the environment and take responsibility for remediation.
PFOA and PFOS are part of a lab-made chemical group called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), per the American Cancer Society. They have been linked to serious health problems, including cancers, liver and heart problems, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children, according to a news release by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Times explained that they're called forever chemicals because they can take hundreds of years to break down in nature and "four to 15 years for levels of PFAS to reduce by half in the human body."
Concerningly, a 2023 government study found PFAS in nearly half of the nation's tap water, and the EPA introduced a requirement for city water systems to reduce the chemicals to "near-zero" levels.
"President Biden understands the threat that forever chemicals pose to the health of families across the country," EPA administrator Michael S. Regan said in the press release. "... Designating these chemicals under our Superfund authority will allow EPA to address more contaminated sites, take earlier action, and expedite cleanups, all while ensuring polluters pay for the costs to clean up pollution threatening the health of communities."
While the new Superfund PFAS rule doesn't ban the substances, manufacturers in the United States have phased them out. However, imported items, such as carpets, textiles, rubber, and plastics, can still contain them, per the Times.
The EPA stated that it will focus enforcement on major polluters of PFAS chemicals, such as businesses that have used them in manufacturing, federal agencies, and other industrial companies.
"It's long past time for the polluters who poisoned all of us to be held responsible," Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, said in the press release. "This comes too late for all the people who were poisoned without their knowledge or consent and have paid the price for one of the greatest environmental crimes in history. But today's designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances is the first step to bring justice to those who have been harmed."
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