U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, expressed mixed feelings about the recent proposition to designate two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as “hazardous" substances.
“I continue to be a strong, leading proponent of action to address PFAS contamination in West Virginia and across the country,” Capito said in a press release from the committee. “Over the years, we’ve heard from local stakeholders and studied the real-life impacts of this complex issue, which is why I am concerned about the uncertainty and unintended consequences that today’s proposal could have. If this proposal is finalized, property owners, farmers, employers, essential utilities, and individuals may be liable for unknowingly having PFAS on their land, even if it was there years or even generations prior to ownership and came from an unknown source.”
The senator noted that a better approach would be to increase research efforts on the substances.
“The best way to give Americans confidence that they are safe from PFAS should be prioritizing research efforts to both understand the environmental and public health challenges the chemicals pose and develop technologies to ultimately find, remove, and destroy PFAS for good,” Capito said. “As I’ve said before, the EPA needs to expeditiously complete work on an enforceable drinking water standard to promote the health and safety of every American.”
Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new proposed rule, perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid would be listed as “hazardous substances” by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
Neither substance is used commercially, which means the rule would mostly target sites with legacy contamination, the release said.
PFAS are widely-used, long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly, an EPA report said. Since the chemicals are widespread, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world, as well as in water, air, fish, soil and food. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and exposure to some of them may be linked to health problems.
