This commentary was written by Marguerite Adelman of Winooski, coordinator for the Vermont PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been all over the news lately, despite the fact that we have known the dangers of these manmade toxins for over 50 years. Recent scientific studies are demonstrating that we may have surpassed the boundaries to stop the widespread contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on our planet. PFAS is now found in rainwater worldwide, water that is used by many people without access to public drinking water systems. Even our public water systems are not able to detect PFAS at levels below 2 parts per trillion, but above 0 ppt: levels that are now considered dangerous to human health by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The harm to human health from PFAS exposure takes time, sometimes many years. When it takes this long to see the negative health effects, people become apathetic. You also may be reading about the many new methods being discovered to remediate PFAS in our environment. Do not be fooled by these self-promoting press releases from companies and research labs looking to make a name and money for themselves. We cannot become complacent by looking for a quick fix to the PFAS problem.
Sometimes the cure has proven worse than the initial problem. GenX, for example, was supposed to be a safer form of PFAS, only to be found to be more dangerous. Furthermore, incineration as a disposal method has been found to release new forms of PFAS into the air. There are more than 9,000 forms of PFAS. It is doubtful that a single type of PFAS is safer than any other form, but currently banning each and every one relies on testing to find out if they are harmful to living creatures. Such testing, at the public’s expense, is simply ridiculous; we should be relying on the “precautionary principle,” forcing manufacturers to prove their product is safe before it goes on the market.
Why are these proposed remediation methods not a solution to the PFAS problem? As Terry Collins, the Thomas Lord professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, has written, “The environment is already totally unacceptably contaminated with PFAS and will be for decades even if not another PFAS molecule is ever sold again. You would have to be able to apply this new process to oceans, lakes, and rivers just for starters to have a “powerful solution,” and this is a ludicrous thought.” Add to that list air and soil because they would need to be “cleaned” as well.
Given the 9,000+ types of PFAS in our environment, the only viable solution is to stop producing all forms of this manmade, forever chemical. And the only way to stop the production of PFAS is for a massive uprising of people to demonstrate against and advocate for comprehensive national legislation to restrict this planetary poisoning.
To do this, we must be willing to accept that we cannot have products that are always stain resistant, water resistant, stick resistant and long lasting. Our need for convenience is killing us. Like me, many of the advocates I work with are older. PFAS will likely not affect us as deeply as our grandchildren and future generations. We need to act now to ban PFAS forever. We must take our role to protect future generations and our planet seriously.