The U.S. EPA is hosting a webinar this week on its proposed new drinking water regulations.
The Agency has just announced plans to limit harmful toxic substances known as PFAS in drinking water, and says cleaner water will prevent thousands of deaths and improve the lives of Pennsylvania residents.
Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action, said the proposal is a step in the right direction to clean up the state’s drinking water while preventing further contamination. He said PFAS are used in consumer products, firefighting foam, food packaging, and many other things.
“We’ve been increasingly concerned over the years that we have worked on this that these chemicals are getting throughout our environment,” he said. “They’re in our water. We’re finding it in soil, we’re finding it in our bodies. I think that the EPA proposal is going to be really important for Pennsylvania. ”
In addition to this week’s webinar, Arnowitt encouraged people to voice their concerns over the EPA’s proposal during an online public hearing May 4th. The agency expects to finalize its plan by the end of this year, at which time water utilities would have three to five years to comply.
Arnowitt added Pennsylvania has a history of PFAS contamination and the state has set higher drinking water standards, but said Pennsylvanians remain concerned about potential exposure.
“I think cancer is certainly the biggest issue that people are worried about. But there are people who experience other kinds of health problems from having water that’s been contaminated by PFAS,” he said.
Arnowitt said the EPA’s proposal would require public utilities to monitor levels of six different PFAS and remove them if they exceed safe drinking water standards. The last day to register for the May 4th public hearing is April 28th.
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