ENDING THE NIGHTMARE
We all deserve clean drinking water, healthy families and thriving communities.
Decades of mismanagement of highly persistent and harmful PFAS means we will be dealing with these chemicals for decades in our homes, drinking water, bodies, and environment.
How much more health and environmental damage will we uncover in the future? How much will it cost us to fix this mess? It’s anyone’s guess. But it’s clear the costs will continue to increase and we will be left with the bill unless we act now.
We shouldn’t have to pay to fix this public health nightmare.
It’s time to demand that chemical makers pay to clean up the mess.
But we can’t stop there. The health and environmental costs are too high to continue to allow these chemicals to pollute drinking water, people, and the environment.
Our Best Hope Lies with States, Retailers, and Product Manufacturers
While the federal government should take action on these chemicals, the reality is that federal action is slow and the likelihood of meaningful action is low. Our best hope for efficient and protective action lies with states, communities, retailers, and product manufacturers.
State governments are taking legislative and regulatory action to phase out PFAS in products to prevent contamination in favor of safer alternatives. For example, laws in Maine, Minnesota, and Washington have given state agencies the authority to ban PFAS in a wide range of products.
Banning the use of these chemicals is a good first step to stopping the flow of these chemicals into our communities and waterways and moving companies to use safer alternatives. A critical mass of state action on these chemicals can move markets, result in companies developing safer products, and eventually end the use of these chemicals.
Check out Safer States for information on what’s happening in your state and how to get involved.
Companies using and selling products made with PFAS have a responsibility too. Switching to safer alternatives not only protects consumers and the environment, but also ends the need for PFAS chemicals in the first place and spurs the development of non-PFAS alternatives.
Check out the Mind the Store campaign for how you can help convince companies to stop using harmful toxic chemicals in their products.
Public officials have a key role to play in ending this nightmare too. Check out this guide to candidates running for office and consider sharing it with candidates in your area to educate them about PFAS and ask them for their plans.
