45 min
Ep 42 (PFAS in US) - US EPA PFAS Regulation & Litigation US (Attorney John Gardella Boston) TalkingPFAS
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- Documentary
Show Notes
Talking PFAS Episode 42 – Published 25/4/2023
Welcome back to Talking PFAS Podcast. I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell.
Today’s episode is the launch of Season 6, and I want to give a big thank you to everybody who continually listens to Talking PFAS podcast, and for sending me your emails on how much you enjoy it. If you are new to the podcast, I encourage you to have a binge, as the content, of course, is still very relevant today as attention, regulation and litigation regarding PFAS chemicals continues to accelerate.
In the Talking PFAS episode today we will be taking a closer look at what US EPA is doing regarding their proposed PFAS drinking water regulation. And it is important to note that I will be giving an overview, from their overview, so for you to get the full context of what they are doing, I strongly encourage you to look at their website.
Also I really encourage you to look at their two webinars. One was on the 16/3/23 and one was on the 29/3/23. They are excellent. They will give you all the information that you need whether you are somebody affected by PFAS contamination, or responsible to keep it out of drinking water, or responsible to clean it up. And also, they go into great detail in parts of these webinars, but for the most part they are very easy to understand.
I just need to mention, in the intro, the proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, that US EPA has proposed, is not an enforceable regulation yet, as some information online and some news articles have reported that it is. It is simply a proposal at this point.
Today I am going to share some key information from the US EPA webinars on these proposed changes to drinking water regulation and I will put a link in my show notes. And also the US EPA is running a virtual public hearing on May 4 and they are asking people to register and submit comments. They will also take oral comments and written comments for this public hearing on May 4. Throughout today’s discussion I am always talking about US EPA if I just say the word EPA, just for clarification.
I will also be sharing some of my interview with Boston Attorney John Gardella from CMBG3 Law. This is a repeat from Episode 33 but I will not be publishing the whole of Episode 33. But as we were discussing all of these changes it is relevant to today’s episode just to give people who are concerned about the legal ramification of these proposed changes. So, I will be replaying it for the benefit of those listeners that are interested in litigation.
So why is the US EPA proposing these drinking water regulations regarding PFAS. As they stated in the webinar, “they are taking this action because safe drinking water is fundamental to healthy people and thriving communities.” EPA stated, “we rely on water from the moment we wake up and make a cup of coffee to when we brush our teeth at night. Every person should have access to clean, safe drinking water. That is why EPA is acting now to protect people’s drinking water from PFAS contamination.”
As they stated in the webinar “The science is clear. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS is linked to significant health risks.” They continue to quote “people can be exposed to PFAS in a number of ways and when their drinking water is contaminated with PFAS it can be a significant portion of a person’s total PFAS exposure.” This is very important to note, “based on EPA’s evaluation of current best available science, PFOA and PFOS, are found to be likely human carcinogens.”
Commenters on the proposed rule have until May 30th this year, 2023, to provide comments to the agency on the proposed rule. Comments must be submitted to the public docket by May 30th for consideration.
So, EPA is proposing a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) to establish legal enforceable levels called Maximum Contaminant Levels, (MCLs)
Show Notes
Talking PFAS Episode 42 – Published 25/4/2023
Welcome back to Talking PFAS Podcast. I am a journalist and your host Kayleen Bell.
Today’s episode is the launch of Season 6, and I want to give a big thank you to everybody who continually listens to Talking PFAS podcast, and for sending me your emails on how much you enjoy it. If you are new to the podcast, I encourage you to have a binge, as the content, of course, is still very relevant today as attention, regulation and litigation regarding PFAS chemicals continues to accelerate.
In the Talking PFAS episode today we will be taking a closer look at what US EPA is doing regarding their proposed PFAS drinking water regulation. And it is important to note that I will be giving an overview, from their overview, so for you to get the full context of what they are doing, I strongly encourage you to look at their website.
Also I really encourage you to look at their two webinars. One was on the 16/3/23 and one was on the 29/3/23. They are excellent. They will give you all the information that you need whether you are somebody affected by PFAS contamination, or responsible to keep it out of drinking water, or responsible to clean it up. And also, they go into great detail in parts of these webinars, but for the most part they are very easy to understand.
I just need to mention, in the intro, the proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, that US EPA has proposed, is not an enforceable regulation yet, as some information online and some news articles have reported that it is. It is simply a proposal at this point.
Today I am going to share some key information from the US EPA webinars on these proposed changes to drinking water regulation and I will put a link in my show notes. And also the US EPA is running a virtual public hearing on May 4 and they are asking people to register and submit comments. They will also take oral comments and written comments for this public hearing on May 4. Throughout today’s discussion I am always talking about US EPA if I just say the word EPA, just for clarification.
I will also be sharing some of my interview with Boston Attorney John Gardella from CMBG3 Law. This is a repeat from Episode 33 but I will not be publishing the whole of Episode 33. But as we were discussing all of these changes it is relevant to today’s episode just to give people who are concerned about the legal ramification of these proposed changes. So, I will be replaying it for the benefit of those listeners that are interested in litigation.
So why is the US EPA proposing these drinking water regulations regarding PFAS. As they stated in the webinar, “they are taking this action because safe drinking water is fundamental to healthy people and thriving communities.” EPA stated, “we rely on water from the moment we wake up and make a cup of coffee to when we brush our teeth at night. Every person should have access to clean, safe drinking water. That is why EPA is acting now to protect people’s drinking water from PFAS contamination.”
As they stated in the webinar “The science is clear. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS is linked to significant health risks.” They continue to quote “people can be exposed to PFAS in a number of ways and when their drinking water is contaminated with PFAS it can be a significant portion of a person’s total PFAS exposure.” This is very important to note, “based on EPA’s evaluation of current best available science, PFOA and PFOS, are found to be likely human carcinogens.”
Commenters on the proposed rule have until May 30th this year, 2023, to provide comments to the agency on the proposed rule. Comments must be submitted to the public docket by May 30th for consideration.
So, EPA is proposing a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) to establish legal enforceable levels called Maximum Contaminant Levels, (MCLs)
45 min