The EPA is cracking down on PFAS — but not in fertilizer
On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency designated two types of “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under the federal Superfund law. The move will make it easier for the government to force the manufacturers of these chemicals, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, to shoulder the costs of cleaning them out of the environment. … Although the EPA’s new restrictions are groundbreaking, they only apply to a portion of the nation’s extensive PFAS contamination problem. That’s because drinking water isn’t the only way Americans are exposed to PFAS … In Texas, a group of farmers whose properties were contaminated with PFAS from fertilizer are claiming the manufacturer should have done more to warn buyers about the dangers of its products.
Related articles:
- New York Times – Opinion: We Regulate a Tiny Fraction of the 12,000 ‘Forever Chemicals.’ There’s a Better Way.
- The Guardian: Ocean spray emits more PFAS than industrial polluters, study finds