PFAS Chemicals
‘Forever Chemicals’: Teflon, Scotchgard and the PFAS Contamination Crisis
In 1946, DuPont introduced Teflon to the world, changing millions of people’s lives – and polluting their bodies. Today, the family of compounds including Teflon, commonly called PFAS, is found not only in pots and pans but also in the blood of people around the world, including 99 percent of Americans. PFAS chemicals pollute water, do not break down, and remain in the environment and people for decades. Some scientists call them “forever chemicals."
Since 2001, when news erupted about the contamination of drinking water near a Teflon plant in West Virginia, EWG has been in the forefront of research and advocacy on PFAS chemicals. Links to much of our work follow. For a compelling overview of the contamination in West Virginia and its aftermath, see the acclaimed documentary film The Devil We Know, available on multiple streaming platforms.
A robust body of research reveals a chemical crisis of epic proportions. Nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to PFAS chemicals in drinking water, food and consumer products.
What are PFAS chemicals?
Per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS chemicals, are a family of thousands of chemicals used to make water-, grease- and stain-repellent coatings for a vast array of consumer goods and industrial applications. These chemicals are notoriously persistent in the environment and the human body, and some have been linked to serious health hazards.
What are the health effects of PFAS?
The two most notorious PFAS chemicals – PFOA, formerly used by DuPont to make Teflon, and PFOS, an ingredient in 3M’s Scotchgard – were phased out under pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency after scientific evidence of serious health problems came to light. The manufacture, use and importation of both PFOA and PFOS are now effectively banned in the U.S., but evidence suggests the next-generation PFAS chemicals that have replaced them may be just as toxic. PFAS chemicals pollute water, do not break down and remain in the environment and in people for decades.
Studies have linked PFAS chemicals to:
- Testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer.
- Weakened childhood immunity.
- Low birth weight.
- Endocrine disruption.
- Increased cholesterol.
- Weight gain in children and dieting adults.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) have reintroduced a bill to help veterans, service members and their families with health problems potentially triggered by exposure to the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS.
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Today Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), with members of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, introduced the Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act. This legislation will ensure that veterans and their families exposed to toxic fluorinated compounds at military installations get the health care services and benefits they need through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Read MoreIn testimony today before a Senate appropriations committee, Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler refused to support banning asbestos, one of the deadliest known carcinogens, and dodged questions about the health risks of PFAS chemicals, which have contaminated drinking water nationwide.
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Between 2012 and 2016, at least 30 new fluorinated chemicals, commonly called PFAS, were produced in significant volumes, according to Environmental Protection Agency data analyzed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER.
Read MoreToday Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) introduced bipartisan legislation to sample water for contamination with the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS.
Read MoreUnder pressure from Environmental Working Group and Capitol Hill lawmakers, the Army today agreed to waive its fee of almost $300,000 to process a public records request seeking information about fluorinated chemical contamination at military installations.
Read MoreThe Army is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars to fulfill a public records request from EWG seeking data on military sites where drinking water sources are contaminated with toxic fluorinated chemicals.
Read MoreThe Pentagon is lobbying the White House to back woefully weak cleanup standards for PFAS chemicals, which contaminate water on or near hundreds of military bases, according to The New York Times.
Read MoreEWG News Roundup (3/8): Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.
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Senate Democratic leaders today called on the Trump administration to turn over documentation of all communications between key agencies and the White House about plans to address the PFAS contamination crisis.
Read MoreWater sampled on or near at least 106 military sites was contaminated with toxic fluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS, above what EPA considers safe, according to Department of Defense data analyzed by EWG. But that’s only the tip of a toxic iceberg.
Read MoreThe Environmental Working Group has identified and mapped 106 military sites in the U.S. where drinking water or groundwater is contaminated with fluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS, at levels that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s health guideline. But this is only the tip of a toxic iceberg that is largely hidden and still growing.
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Senate legislation introduced today with strong bipartisan support would classify the fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund toxics law, an important step toward cleaning up widespread contamination by these compounds across the nation.
Read MoreThe Center for Disease Control and Prevention will begin testing people who live in communities near current and former military installations for toxic fluorinated compounds, known as PFAS.
Read MoreRetired Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger, who was stationed for many years at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, lost his daughter Janey in 1985 at the age of 9 from leukemia after she was exposed to toxic chemicals while living on base.
Read MoreTwo of the nation’s leading voices fighting for victims of PFAS contamination and pushing for federal action sharply rebuked the Environmental Protection Agency’s toothless “action plan” for the fluorinated chemicals, announced today by acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler.
Read MoreThe Environmental Protection Agency’s so-called PFAS management plan would only make the nationwide crisis of pervasive pollution from fluorinated compounds worse, EWG said.
Read MoreThe toxic chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a national crisis demanding action.
Read MoreChildren exposed to chemicals commonly found in personal care products may be at a higher risk of suffering from lung damage later in life, according to a new European study.
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