PFAS has also been found in high concentrations at the country’s military bases. The US Department of Defense says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on PFAS-related research and cleanup efforts. In the body, the chemicals primarily settle into the blood, kidneys and liver. A 2007 study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that PFAS chemicals could be detected in 98% of the US population.Tim Whitehouse, the executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group that works on environmental ethics and scientific integrity issues, said this latest move from the EPA is merely a baby step in the fight to end PFAS pollution.
“EPA actions are too little and too late,” Whitehouse said. “This administration and previous administrations have been fiddling around trying not to upset chemical companies and communities suffer.”
