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By Aayushi Sharma
Lawsuits in the United States are accusing major chemical companies of polluting drinking water with toxic PFAS chemicals. This has led to more than $11 billion in settlements this year.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of about 15,000 known chemicals that are used in hundreds of consumer and commercial products such as firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, stain-resistant apparel, and cosmetics. They have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not readily break down in the environment or in the human body.
Experts are predicting that the new federal regulations and increasing awareness about PFAS contamination in the U.S. will involve more litigation and settlements in 2024. Calling PFAS an “urgent public health and environmental issue,” the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a number of actions in recent years to tighten restrictions for the chemicals. After gathering test results in November from less than one-third of the USA’s drinking water systems, the Environmental Protection Agency revealed data that indicated 44 million Americans have harmful “forever chemicals” or PFAS, in their drinking water.
According to David Fusco, an attorney at K&L Gates, there has also been an increase in consumer class action lawsuits filed against manufacturers of PFAS-containing apparel, dental floss, and food wrappers in recent years. These lawsuits are expected to continue growing. Meanwhile, the EPA has stated that it will proceed with regulations in the coming year that would establish legally binding thresholds for specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water and possibly classify certain PFAS as hazardous under the U.S. Superfund law, which lays out responsibility and cost-sharing for the cleanup of contaminated sites.
Risks of PFAS exposure
99 percent of Americans, even newborns, have PFAS in their blood, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Immune system suppression has been connected to very low levels of PFAS. Research indicates that even at very low exposure levels, PFAS can damage fetal development, raise the risk of cancer, and lessen the efficiency of vaccinations.
References:
https://www.epa.gov/pfas/key-epa-actions-address-pfas
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