Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
Opinion/Editorial: PFAS denials leave polluters unccountable
The Western Virginia Water Authority is spending millions of dollars on an advanced filter system to keep a dangerous “forever chemical” made by Chemours chemical company from fouling the drinking water it distributes to customers in the Roanoke area.
For now, it does not appear that the company will have to pony up a dime to clean up the Roanoke River and the Spring Hollow reservoir, from which the authority distributes drinking water. This lack of corporate accountability applies to a chemical product called GenX that an Environmental Protection Agency health advisory says should be limited to 10 part per trillion. That’s right, 10 parts PER TRILLION. This is because lab tests on animals link its presence to certain cancers and high cholesterol.
Most of the big chemical companies, including Chemours, lobby politicians to downplay the public health risks of their products. These companies push for weak or non-existent regulation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals, such as Chemours’ GenX. These chemicals are used in waterproofing clothes, stain-proofing carpets and furniture, producing non-stick cookware, making firefighting foam, even lining food wrappers. The waste produced in their manufacture degrades so slowly that it builds up in the blood of humans and other animals and has been linked to several types of cancer and a number of other health problems.