“PARKERSBURG — U.S. senators from Ohio and West Virginia have signed a letter demanding the release of a federal study about the levels of perfluorinated chemicals in drinking water supplies.
A dozen senators on Tuesday sent the letter to Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Secretary Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services seeking the release of the study, of which national news outlets said the EPA has blocked its release because of the public relations problems its disclosure would cause. The study was through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
‘We want to express our deep concern with recent news reports that individuals within the United States Environmental Protection Agency are blocking the release of results from a study completed by Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry regarding per- and polyfluouroalkyl substances,’ the letter said.
The letter was signed by Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, of West Virginia, and Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, of Ohio. The other eight were Jack Reed, of Rhode Island; Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin; Chris VanHollen, of Maryland; Robert P. Casey Jr., of Pennsylvania; Michael F. Bennet, of Colorado; Edward J. Markey, of Massachusetts; Bill Nelson, of Florida; and Robert Menendez, of New Jersey.
Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFAS, include C8 and its successor GenX used to make Teflon at the Washington Works in Wood County. A science panel created with the original C8 lawsuit against DuPont in Wood County found a probable link between C8 and six diseases in people.”
Read the full article by Jess Mancini