PFAS is a family of chemicals often used in the manufacturing of nonstick and waterproof products. In the past several years, the chemicals have been showing up in high levels in people's drinking water across the state.
News came out Wednesday that a report on the dangers of PFAS exposure had been blocked by officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House.
Alexis Temkin is a toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group in Washington D.C. She spoke with Stateside on the implications of this new development.
The report was produced by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a group housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency's primary job is to provide toxicological profiles.
ATSDR found safe levels of PFAS chemicals are much lower than the EPA initially reported in 2016.
“We see that the concentrations considered safe by ATSDR are actually seven to ten folds lower than what the EPA had reported,” Temkin said.
Listen above to hear more on what this new report means for water safety.
This post was written by Stateside production assistant Sophie Sherry.
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