BERKELEY, Calif., Aug. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Industrial giant 3M waited decades to reveal troubling information about the toxicity of its chemicals PFOA and PFOS, according to an analysis published last week in Environmental Health.
The chemicals moved out of these products into air, water, and soil, where they never break down.They are now found in the blood of most Americans, including newborns.
Contaminated drinking water linked to use of firefighting foams at military and civilian airports is a major source of human exposure.
Federal rules currently require airports to use PFAS-containing foams.
Critics say it is time to rethink this policy.
"The extreme persistence and mobility of fluorinated foams leads to water contamination, serious human and environmental harm, and liability for airports," according to Arlene Blum Ph.D., Executive Director of the Green Science Policy Institute.
"Healthy, safe alternatives are in use at airports around the world, but not yet allowed in the U.S." Promising news is that the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 giving civilian airports the freedom to choose firefighting foams without these harmful chemicals.
"We don’t yet know how to clean up the massive contamination from fluorinated firefighting foams," says Tom Bruton Ph.D., Scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute.
This provision, supported by the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Airports Council International North America, and American Association of Airport Executives, passed the House in April 2018 by a vote of 393 to 13.
The Senate is poised to consider the measure later in August.

Dozens of citizens, government officials, and other community stakeholders on Tuesday attended what was billed as a listening session by the Environmental Protection Agency on the topic of groundwater contamination in the Fountain Valley.
Groundwater in the Fountain, Widefield, and Security area has been contaminated due to decades of seepage of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, from Peterson Air Force Base.
The chemicals have been linked to health issues including liver, kidney, and immune system ailments, as well as low birth weight in babies, thyroid problems, and even cancer.
Resident Susan Gordon, who lived and worked at Venetucci Farm for eleven years until its closure due to contamination in 2017, wants the EPA to tighten its restrictions on acceptable levels of PFAS, which is currently at 70 parts per trillion.
"You can do this by adapting an enforceable and protective maximum contaminant level of one part per trillion for all PFA chemicals," Gordon said.
The EPA’s "Community Engagement" sessions are being held in four areas of the country affected by similar contamination, including Exeter, N.H., Horsham, Penn., and Fayetteville, N.C. "These engagements have been very helpful to us in the EPA to understanding the impacts that are happening at a local level and helping us develop actions moving forward for EPA to take and to support states and local governments as they address PFAS," said Jennifer McLain, EPA Deputy Director of the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.
"They’re not speaking into a vacuum, they’re actually helping us define how we want to move forward," said EPA Region 8 Administrator Doug Benevento.

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – There was standing room only during a community meeting in Satellite Beach Sunday, regarding cancer concerns and water contamination.
A number of people in the crowd raised their hands when asked whether they are a cancer survivor, or the parent of one.
“We’ve all been through it, we’re all going through it now.
We’re all feeling the same thing.
Right now, health officials are investigating a possible cancer cluster among Satellite High School alumni.
School board officials say they found trace levels of a contaminant in the drinking water at nine schools in Brevard County.
They say according to federal guidelines, the water is still safe.
This all comes after a report on Patrick Air Force base showed the groundwater was contaminated with high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.
“I think all we found is more questions right now, which I know is frustrating to a lot of the residents,” said Dr. Julie Greenwalt, a radiation oncologist and cancer survivor who graduated from Satellite High School.
They say they plan to do more testing.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images News/Getty Images On Sunday, the governor’s office in Michigan declared a state of emergency for water contamination.
This time, though, the state of emergency had nothing to do with lead or the now-infamous Flint water crisis.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found extremely high levels of PFAS in the water systems used by city of Parchment and part of Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County.
When it announced the water contamination, the Parchment government reported that the level of PFAS in the water system was 1,410 parts-per-trillion (or ppt); MLive.com reported that the limit recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is only 70 ppt.
PFAS has been used in a variety of applications, from non-stick pans to firefighting and stain resistance, according to The New Republic.
PFAS also has been found to cause liver and kidney damage, increased cholesterol, asthma, cancer, risk of thyroid disease, and risk of fertility decrease, among other ailments, according to National Ground Water Association.
Kalamazoo County had declared a state of emergency locally on Friday, and asked for a state-level declaration on Saturday, according to the governor’s office.
However, a Flint city government spokeswoman estimated that 12,000 residences still have lines in need of replacing.
"The pipe replacement work is expected to be completed by 2020.
While the state has taken more immediate actions with this smaller crisis in Kalamazoo County, it remains to be seen what the long-term effects of PFAS contamination will be on the state of Michigan.

We only know about it more here in Michigan because we’re the only state actually taking the initiative to begin the testing of every one of our municipalities across all 83 counties."
Health officials are telling people in parts of Kalamazoo County to stop drinking the water.
A spot in Cass County is already on the state’s radar.
As of right now there are no indications that the Cass County spot is at the level of being dangerous to health, but it is being monitored for levels of potentially dangerous chemicals.
"People just got to be more careful when they drive and come around to this curve,” said Roger Outlaw, who lives near site.
They’re the chemicals behind a "do not drink" order in parts of Kalamazoo County.
In Cass County the concern for those health conditions has yet not been raised.
The site was most recently tested in April 2018.
Then I’m assuming again they would let people know."
That intersection is the only active PFAS investigation in Cass County.

PARCHMENT, Mich. (AP) – Authorities handed out thousands of free bottles of water Friday for two southwestern Michigan communities where the discovery of contamination from toxic industrial chemicals prompted a warning against using the public water system for drinking or cooking.
About 3,000 people are on the affected water system.
Rick Snyder said in a statement.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting public meetings in communities where the chemicals have contaminated water systems.
The Parchment area has a history of paper manufacturing.
Officials announced a plan Friday to drain Parchment’s water system, hook it up to the water supply in nearby Kalamazoo, then flush out Parchment’s system until tests show the PFAS at acceptable levels.
After that, officials will determine when affected residents can use the main water supply again.
"We have water.
We will take care of people."
The tests for PFAS were part of an effort announced in May to check for contamination in Michigan’s 1,380 public water systems.

HORSHAM, PA — Local lawmakers, activists, and concerned citizens gathered at Hatboro-Horsham High School on Wednesday to discuss the contamination of the area’s drinking water supply with officials from the highest levels of EPA and Department of Defense.
In the portion of the event open to public comment – which lasted more than five hours – local lawmakers and residents expressed frustration that not enough had been done to protect the residents of Horsham, Warminster, Warrington, Willow Grove, and the surrounding area.
Local lawmakers have been lobbying the federal government for years to – in the very least – take a more active financial role in the situation, including the cleanup of the chemicals spilled into local bodies of water and the water supply.
Lawmakers and activists have also rallied for the federal government to pay for residents to have their blood tested for dangerous levels of the chemicals.
Marie Collett, a Democratic state senate candidate in Pennsylvania’s 12th District, said that the state has been made effete should also be empowered to do more.
This is just one example of the danger presented by lack of adequate funding to our DEP."
State officials, in turn, stated they needed federal legislation to ensure continued safety of the water supply.
The ideal situation for some activists and residents would be to federally list PFOS and PFOA as regulated substances, giving officials broader leverage to control even small amounts of the chemicals.
A 2016 federal study found no evidence of a "cancer cluster" in the local area, despite concerns that a growing number of local residents were being taken ill due to the contamination.
Andrew Dixon, a candidate for state representative in the 29th District, called the meeting "an important step towards government transparency on the PFAS issue."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S.
Senator Maria Cantwell announced today the inclusion of an additional $70 million in funding to the Department of Defense for environmental restoration in areas struggling with water contamination due to their proximity to military installations in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Such areas include Fairchild Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis McChord and Naval Station Whidbey Island.
"Clean drinking water is a must for every Washingtonian, and for families throughout our country," Cantwell said.
"From Airway Heights to Coupville and Whidbey Island, this funding will ensure we continue to clean up groundwater in communities affected by these chemicals."
PFAS are chemicals found in firefighting foams that had been used at military installations and civilian airports.
The chemicals have been detected in groundwater and drinking water wells near these entities.
While the health effects of these chemicals are still being determined, studies have linked PFAS exposure to developmental damage, certain cancers and immune system dysfunction.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday.
It next moves on to the Senate for a final vote, expected to take place the following week.

Water onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower tested positive for E. Coli and coliform bacteria during routine testing at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, spokeswoman Terri Davis said Thursday.
Davis said the cause of the contamination is under investigation and the carrier was closed to all but mission essential personnel.
Portable water for fountains, restroom sinks and dining facilities on the carrier, which is at the shipyard for routine maintenance, was shut off.
"Water coolers are being put in place for all personnel on the ship and pier," Davis said.
Water is provided to the carrier along the pier through a riser, Davis said, and the Ike is not currently producing its own water like it would while underway.
Results from additional water samples taken at the pier are expected Friday, Davis said.
Water testing at buildings located near the Ike around the same time were negative for contaminants.
"When they’re in port, they’re on shore services and one of those services is water," Davis said.
The Ike left Naval Station Norfolk in August and entered the shipyard for what the Navy has previously said would be a six-month upgrade to the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems.
Information about the carrier’s delay in the shipyard was not immediately Thursday evening.

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced Tuesday she is introducing a bill in an effort to help communities clean up and monitor drinking water systems.
“Clean water is something every New Yorker should have access to,” Sen. Gillibrand said during a conference call.
“Across NY state, drinking water contamination has been hurting communities.” The Contaminant and Lead Electronic Accounting and Reporting Requirements would do several things, including providing resources to identify, test and clean up drinking water systems and force the EPA to share more information about water pollution in New York.
The act would increase funding for assisting small and disadvantaged communities with water quality compliance from $60 million a year to $230 million next year and $300 million from 2020 through 2023.
“If your water supply has been contaminated, it’s expensive to clean it up,” Sen. Gillibrand said during the press conference.
“Congress has a responsibility to make sure if a town’s water has been contaminated, they’re not stuck with no way to clean it up.” It would also force the EPA to set up electronic reporting of water quality compliance, provide technical assistance with public water systems trying to meet compliance standards, research contaminants, and provide grants for local educational programs on the health effects of contaminated water.
“The EPA has a responsibility to make sure that communities have all the information they need to understand exactly what’s happening when contamination occurs, and whether they need to start a cleanup effort,” Sen. Gillibrand said.
“The EPA should never hold back information from the public when it comes to our health and safety.” Sen. Gillibrand’s office could not immediately supply any particular New York communities that she thinks the bill will help if passed, but the senator made it clear she thinks the bill will benefit New York specifically.
“No one should ever have to wonder if their water is safe,” she said.