Read the full article by Laura Orlando, Barn Raiser
This story was originally published by Barn Raiser, your independent source for rural and small town news.
“What do the atomic bomb and a West Virginia cattle farmer have in common? The first ushered in the mass production of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS); the second helped expose PFAS’s terrifying toxicity and the corporate lies that kept it a secret for decades. Twenty-six years after Wilbur Tennant of Parkersburg, West Virginia, contacted Cincinnati attorney Robert Bilott about pollution that he thought was making his cows sick, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally taken actions commensurate with the dangers posed by PFAS.
On April 10, the EPA imposed the first national limits on PFAS, mandating their reduction in drinking water to near zero levels. The agency followed this with an April 19 ruling that designates PFOS and PFOA, two of the most studied PFAS, as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law.
These rulings signal that the federal government is paying attention to the well-founded public fear of PFAS poisoning and the reams of scientific evidence that show PFAS exposure is harmful to your health. These human-made chemicals can cause cancer, immune system disfunction, kidney disease, thyroid problems, cardiovascular disease and other serious health problems. If PFAS was a villain in a Hollywood movie, it would be a horror flick. On second thought, it does have a starring role in the Hollywood movie Dark Waters (2019)—but the chemical giant DuPont is the villain.” …