Urge EPA to add PFOA and PFOS to toxic substance list

FORM OF LETTER

Dear Administrator Regan, 

I urge you to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances. PFOA and PFOS are only 2 of the thousands of chemicals in the PFAS family, but they are the most hazardous and ubiquitous through all facets of our environment. The EPA must designate these two chemicals as hazardous substances which will prioritize the action that needs to take place in order to protect our rivers.

Although PFOA and PFOS have been phased out of production, these chemicals are still being found in products that we use today from rugs and carpets to personal care products. These chemicals are in our drinking water, in our streams and in our food. Even in rural areas where there are no industrial sources and minimal commercial businesses, PFOA and PFOS has been found in the public waste water that is discharged into our streams.

PFAS has polluted public drinking water systems in the Potomac Watershed, where 75% of the 129 water systems tested in Maryland had measurable levels of PFOA and PFOS. West Virginia found 67 water systems that were contaminated with at least one PFAS Pollutant. In DC, two major water systems servicing millions of people found measurable levels of PFOA and PFOS. Virginia has several water systems contaminated by PFAS in which legal action is pending, however, Virginia state agencies are slow to conduct a statewide analysis.

It is critical that EPA designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances so that we can stop the cycle of PFAS from contaminating our water resources, our food and our children’s future.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to list two of the most hazardous and prevalent chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, in our environment on the toxic substance list.  This is an important first step that allows us to test for and set water quality standards that all state agencies must follow.

We need your help! 


Take action by sending a letter to the EPA to urge that this designation be adopted. You can use the form of letter on this page (although you certainly can make it your own by editing) and here is the link to the EPA to submit it as a comment.

Important note: the deadline for submission is November 7, 2022

PFAS – toxic substances called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down over time, are a serious problem in our environment and affect everything from drinking water to food and its sources. Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, has been leading the campaign in Maryland to identify the extent of the problem through his PFAS Investigations. As a result of their pervasiveness, more than 95 percent of the U.S. population has PFAS in their bodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Worse, there is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects on your immune system, liver, thyroid, birth defects and could cause cancer. The full extent of the risks and exposure levels from PFAS is still being studied.

PFAS has polluted public drinking water systems in the Potomac Watershed, where 75% of the 129 water systems tested in Maryland had measurable levels of PFOA and PFOS. West Virginia found 67 water systems that were contaminated with at least one PFAS Pollutant. In DC, two major water systems servicing millions of people found measurable levels of PFOA and PFOS. Virginia has several water systems contaminated by PFAS in which legal action is pending, however, Virginia state agencies are slow to conduct a statewide analysis.

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