Dean calls water test results ‘frightening’
The Environmental Working Group in the U.S. House of Representatives this week released a PFAS contamination report, sharing the results of tap water tested for PFAS levels in drinking water. Testing took place in 44 locations across 31 states and the District of Columbia.
Out of the sample group, Philadelphia ranked 6th highest among the metropolitan areas with PFAS water contamination at a rate of 46.3 parts per trillion (ppt), prompting a call for action from U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th.
“The results are frightening. This report highlights the widespread impact of PFAS contamination and underscores the urgency with which we must act to protect our communities — the stakes could not be higher,” said Dean. Dean called on the Environmental Protection Agency to do more on the PFAS contamination issue.
“EPA’s inaction is unacceptable and dangerous, and I will continue to fight for action on PFAS,” Dean said.
PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used in a range of consumer products and in firefighting foams on military installations, which have been linked to a range of serious health effects, including immunological disorders, infertility, and certain cancers, according to MediaNews Group archives.
In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) issued an updated toxicology report for types of PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS, and the health risks associated with exposure. ATSDR recommended risk levels at 13 to 20 parts per trillion for these PFAS substances, significantly lower than the levels found in this study in Philadelphia.
PFAS chemicals are linked to a range of health consequences, including several types of cancer and impaired immune system performance. The chemicals have long been used in a range of consumer products, and some remain in use on military installations.
Rep. Dean is a founding member of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force. She has also introduced H.R. 2600, the Toxic PFAS Control Act, which would ban the manufacture and processing of PFAS chemicals and require EPA to regulate their disposal. In May 2019, she hosted members of the PFAS Task Force in the Pennsylvania Fourth District, touring the Willow Grove base and hosting a public roundtable discussion in Upper Dublin.
Earlier this month the federal government announced the U.S. Air Force had received $2.8 million for containment and filtration systems for surface water at the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, in partnership with the Warminster Municipal Authority.
Conditions in the PFAS Action Act passed by the House on Jan. 10 will require the federal EPA to mandate cleanup of contaminated sites, set air emission limits, limit new PFAS chemicals in the marketplace, identify health risks by requiring comprehensive health testing, reporting and monitoring of PFAS.