PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
In this edition: What’s happening with federal-level PFAS legislation, most Wisconsin utilities decline to test for PFAS, $1M ad buy praises Democrats for environmental action, Indiana bill protecting firefighters awaits final approval, researchers successfully blast PFAS with plasma, and what the rise in contaminant court cases could mean for class-action suits for medical monitoring.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Federal PFAS Legislation – the National Defense Authorization Act and Beyond – The National Law Review
Congress continues to grapple with how it should legislate in response to human health and environmental concerns related to PFAS. Of the dozens of bills proposed in 2019 to address PFAS, only the National Defense Authorization Act passed both chambers, becoming law when the president signed the act on Dec. 20, 2019.
PFAS Wastewater Testing: Most Wisconsin utilities decline to participate – NBC 26 Green Bay
More than 100 utilities around Wisconsin declined to participate in a request to test wastewater for PFAS, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. To date, five utilities either tested for PFAS or agreed to participate in a study testing wastewater for PFAS, according to Jason Knutson, wastewater section chief for the DNR.
$1M ad buy praises swing-district Democrats’ environmental work – The Hill
The ad buy from the League of Conservation Voters and House Majority Forward praises the efforts of eight lawmakers to fight climate change, ban offshore drilling or regulate a class of cancer-linked chemicals called PFAS.
The ads praise the work of Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor (Fla.), Joe Cunningham (S.C.), Antonio Delgado (N.Y.), Andy Kim (N.J.), Elaine Luria (Va.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), Abigail Spanberger (Va.) and Xochitl Torres Small (N.M.).
Indiana Bill Seeks to Reduce Firefighters’, Hoosiers’ Exposure to PFAS Contamination – Indiana Environmental Reporter
House Bill 1189, which awaits final approval by the governor’s office, would limit the use of potentially toxic firefighting foam in training.
Researchers blast ‘forever chemicals’ into oblivion with plasma – Grist
After testing a new plasma-based treatment system on water samples contaminated with 12 different types of PFAS, they found that it degraded significant amounts of all of the compounds, and for some types of PFAS, the system degraded more than 90 percent of the contamination.
Michigan state Rep. wants to end toxic materials on Detroit’s east side – Fox 2 Detroit
State Rep. Isaac Robinson wants to stop what he calls environmental injustice by demanding an investigation into potentially contaminated sites and abandoned property near the Detroit and Hamtramck border.
Wisconsin’s Eagle River Light & Water Waiting To Test For PFAS – WXPR
A discussion recently by the Eagle River Light & Water Commission on testing the city municipal water system for the presence of PFAS substances resulted in a “wait for standards” to be established.
Will PFAS Litigation Revive Class Treatment for Medical Monitoring Claims? – The Legal Intelligencer
Commentary on how the surge in toxic tort cases on account of PFAS and other so-called emerging contaminants might bring back the availability of class actions to pursue medical monitoring for alleged exposure to a toxic chemical.
Featured Image: Still from one of the eight television ad campaigns from the League of Conservation Voters and House Majority Forward in support of Democrat environmental actions
