You and I are probably
already poisoned by PFAS-contaminated water,
along with 99% of Americans — adults and kids alike —
according to recently-emerging studies. PFAS are
"forever chemicals" found in all sorts of
products, from firefighting foam, to
stain-resistant carpets and Gore-Tex jackets, to
cosmetics, to non-stick pans and fast food wrappers.
Research shows that exposure to even extremely low levels
of PFAS can be linked to unnaturally high rates of
cancer, autoimmune diseases, liver and kidney diseases,
birth defects, and more.
These forever chemicals linger
in the environment, never biodegrading, and eventually
build up in animals' and humans' bodies. They lodge in
both the water we drink and also in the animals that
many people eat. According to new information from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
upwards of 100 million people in the U.S. —
including children — are drinking contaminated
water from approximately 120,000 poisoned sites
across the country. And so far, the government
still has not set any maximum contaminant levels for
PFAS chemicals, meaning corporations are currently free
to keep flooding our products, waterways, and bodies
with these poisons.
Fortunately, under the
Biden-Harris administration, the EPA is finally
starting to address the situation, but its
research-and-review process could take years. We
just don't have the luxury of waiting that
long. That's why Congress must get involved as
well. Let's thank
the EPA for finally moving to restrict PFAS — and urge
it to move faster. Sign the petition to demand
that the EPA and Congress immediately regulate dangerous
PFAS and undertake efforts to clean up our communities
now, before more people are exposed to these toxic
chemicals!
