The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently granted a petition submitted by six North Carolina public health and environmental justice organizations to force companies to conduct testing of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The petitioners asked the EPA to compel the gathering of PFAS data from U.S. companies, particularly The Chemours Company in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which is responsible for 54 chemicals considered PFAS, a Dec. 28 EPA press release said.
“Communities in North Carolina and across the country deserve to know the potential risks that exposure to PFAS pose to families and children.” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the release. “By taking action on this petition, EPA will have a better understanding of the risks from PFAS pollution so we can do more to protect people.”
The EPA will require manufacturers that use PFAS to provide the EPA with data on the toxicity of the chemical as well as the categories of PFAS that are used, the release said.
PFAS are a large group of chemicals in use since the 1940s for industrial and manufacturing purposes, EPA’s National PFAS Testing Strategy said. Due to their prevalence, PFAS can be found in almost everything, including the blood of humans and animals, soil, water and air worldwide.
The effects of PFAS on health and the environment are not yet fully understood, a description of PFAS on EPA’s website said. With thousands of different chemicals falling into the category, PFAS has been difficult to fully research, making data collection such as that in North Carolina important for current and future study.
“This data will also help us identify the sources of pollution so we can hold those accountable for endangering the public,” Regan said in the release. “EPA is fully committed to addressing this longstanding pollution challenge, and today we take another critical step forward to protect the water, air, and land we all depend on.”
The approval of the petition serves to advance the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to protecting people from the potential risks, known and unknown, of PFAS, the EPA release said. The request was initially denied under the Trump administration, with the petitioners requesting a review of their denial in March 2021, leading to its eventual approval.
