U.S. Senate holds first hearing on brewing water contamination crisis

They're used in products from non-stick pans to water-resistant clothing—and now these toxic chemicals are showing up in our drinking water.

They’re used in products from non-stick pans to water-resistant clothing—and now these toxic chemicals are showing up in our drinking water.

That’s why, on Sept. 26, a subcommittee held the U.S. Senate’s first-ever hearing on the class of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

“These chemicals are poisoning drinking water across the country,” said Bart Johnsen-Harris, our national network’s clean water advocate. “We need decisive action to ensure that not one more community has its water contaminated by PFAS.”

More research is needed, but PFAS have been linked to cancer and other health threats. In a letter [[C4_NAME]] co-signed with U.S. PIRG and Toxics Action Center, we called on Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency to declare a national moratorium on further use of PFAS, set standards to prevent drinking water contamination, and make polluters pay to clean up the PFAS contamination they cause.

Read more here.

Photo: A Michigan Department of Environmental Quality geologist investigates steel drums for potential PFAS contamination. Credit: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)