U.S. EPA limits toxic chemicals in drinking water, 23 years after Rob Bilott raised the alarm
Thousands of sites across the country are polluted with toxic chemicals known as PFAS, and on Wednesday, the federal government enacted new limits for them in drinking water.
Cincinnati environmental attorney Rob Bilott called the move “a huge step forward for public health protection in this country” at a press conference about the development.
The new standards regulating PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have been decades in the making, arriving 23 years after Bilott first alerted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in drinking water in 2001.
Since then, Bilott has led the effort to hold PFAS manufacturers such as DuPont and 3M responsible, representing plaintiffs from Ohio to West Virginia in lawsuits that have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. Bilott was portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in the 2019 movie "Dark Waters" for his work.
However, Bilott credits the victims of PFAS exposure, and other people who spoke out about chemicals in their drinking water, for making a difference.
“You may be up against major companies, or the whole regulatory system, or the scientific system or the legal system,” he said. “But you know what? That can be changed.”
PFAS shown to be toxic for health, even at low levels
PFAS have been used since the 1940s in a variety of consumer products such as nonstick cookware and stain or water-resistant clothes. They’re known as forever chemicals because they can linger for up to hundreds of years in groundwater.
PFAS also build up in our bodies, where scientists have linked them to a variety of severe health issues. Studies show that PFAS exposure is associated with an increased risk of testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer, reproductive issues, and low birth weight.
Even low levels of the chemical can be toxic, according to Susan Pinney, director of the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Environmental Genetics.
“As we continue to do research,” she said in an interview with The Enquirer last year, “we find there are health effects at lower and lower levels."
In Ohio, dozens of water districts no longer EPA compliant
The new federal limits are particularly impactful for residents of states like Ohio, one of 39 that previously had no regulatory standards for PFAS in drinking water.
Midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin already had their own regulations in place, but Ohio was not one of them.
Now, public water systems in Ohio have five years to make sure the PFAS levels in their water are lowered to less than 4 parts per trillion.
Across Ohio, PFAS levels in at least 15 public water systems would not currently be in compliance with the federal standards, according to a Dayton Daily News investigation published last year.
In the greater Cincinnati area, this includes water districts serving Indian Hill and Loveland, where PFAS levels were detected at 12.4 and 16 parts per trillion respectively.
“I was thrilled to see that it’s finally happening,” said Sharon Scovanner, 64, a Loveland resident who heard about the federal regulations this morning. “No longer will people be subject to PFAS in their drinking water.”
Still, Scovanner wants to know what the city will do to protect residents like herself from PFAS before the water utility is required to be federally compliant.
“We’re still talking about an issue that will not be corrected for potentially five years, which is a very long time to be drinking water that’s not safe.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati lawyer celebrates limits on PFAS forever chemicals in drinking water
