Harmful "forever chemicals" will be regulated by Colorado Water Quality Comission under new policy.
Colorado’s Water Quality Commission has passed a resolution to enact a policy that will regulate "forever chemicals."
Forever chemicals are per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or "forever chemicals." These chemicals are found in non-stick cookware, firefighting foam, food wrappers, cleaning products, and more. This stuff is everywhere, including in the tap water many of us drink and prepare food with.
They've been used in commercial products since about the 1940s, and are made when carbon and fluorine and bonded together. PFAS are resistant to moisture, heat, and stains, and are referred to as forever chemicals due to their exceptionally long half-lives, or the amount of time they retain full levels of potency.
PFAS have been linked to a growing number of profoundly serious medical conditions, like cancer, birth defects, kidney damage, pregnancy complications, immune system impairment, fertility issues, and more.
A study from the Environmental Working Group in January 2020 revealed that the levels of PFAS in drinking water specifically are far higher than previously thought after testing the water in dozens of American cities. Testing done by the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports that PFAS chemicals are present in almost very blood sample they take.
In Colorado, these chemicals were found in high numbers in 2016 in the drinking water supply for areas around Colorado Springs, including the communities of Security, Widefield, and Fountain. This was traced to contamination from firefighting efforts using foam at nearby Peterson Airforce Base. Residents tested were found to have elevated levels of PFAS in their blood. These chemicals have been found in higher-than-permissible levels in several waterways around the state; most surface water examples taken will show some presence of PFAS.
Federal work to regulate these chemicals has not progressed quickly, and states have tried to address the issue on their own.
For Colorado, this work comes in the form of the new policy passed earlier this week by the Water Quality Commission.
These new rules will regulate the forever chemicals, including regulations for wastewater treatment plants and industrial sites to monitor for PFAS, as well as gives the state the authority to limit these chemicals in future wastewater permits. This is the first policy in Colorado to regulate the chemicals, and for people who have been affected by the contamination, it's a welcome change.
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