US Environmental Protection Agency Announces Plan To Combat PFAS Pollution - Statement

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a statement announcing its plan to combat pollution from polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the United States

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2021) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a statement announcing its plan to combat pollution from polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the United States.

"Today, US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the agency's comprehensive Strategic Roadmap to confront PFAS contamination nationwide," the statement said.

PFAS, sometimes referred to as "forever chemicals" given their tendency not to naturally break down over time, are thought to pose health risks to humans who consume them in polluted drinking water. They are found in a variety of household and industrial products including makeup, packaging, clothing, dental floss and cleaning supplies.

EPA's Strategic Roadmap is centered on increasing investments in research, leveraging authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and accelerating the cleanup of PFAS contamination, the statement said.

The Strategic Roadmap involves a new national testing strategy that requires PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on some PFAS chemicals, the statement added.

It also includes timelines to set enforceable drinking water limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act, hazardous substance designation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and increased monitoring, data collection and research so that the EPA can identify what actions are needed and when to take them, according to the statement.