Tell the EPA: Ban this cancer-causing chemical
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic chemical known to cause cancer.
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center submitted the comments of 24,040 members who are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, or “Superfund”).
PFOA and PFOS are the original two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that were invented in the 1940s and have been used since that time in a wide variety of products to make them water-, grease- and heat-resistant. PFAS are also known as “forever chemicals” due to the fact that they do not break down naturally and build up in the environment and our bodies.
In fact, PFAS are so widely used and persistent that they have been found in public drinking water systems across the country and in the blood of most Americans. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to serious health effects including fertility and developmental issues, immune suppression and cancer.
Designating PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA would open up sites contaminated with these chemicals to cleanup through the Superfund program and would enable EPA to hold the responsible polluters liable for the cost of the cleanups. This proposed rule is a step in the right direction and will directly impact communities that have been impacted by PFOA and PFOS contamination.
In addition to calling on the EPA to expeditiously finalize this rule, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center also submitted a comment urging the agency to improve the rule in key ways.
Read more about PFAS and their impacts here.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic chemical known to cause cancer.
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