In 2021 the CT General Assembly passed a bill that restricts toxic PFAS from consumer packaging and fire fighting foam after a similar bill died due to no action in 2019. SB 827 is a big win for public health and environmental health in our state!
DANGERS OF PFAS
Recent studies in laboratory animals by the International Agency for Research on Cancer have linked PFAS to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, hormone disruption, immune disorders, and reproductive disorders.
PFAS are also known as "forever chemicals" because they do not easily break down. Instead, they migrate from packaging and consumer products into our household dust and air, accumulating in our bodies over time. They can also build up in crops, livestock, fish, and game, contaminating the food we eat as well as the water we drink.
The prevalence of PFAS in many household items and safety equipment has led to high levels of PFAS exposure. A Harvard study conducted from 2013-2015 determined the drinking water in6 million households in America were contaminated with PFAS at levels exceeding federally recommendations.
To make matters worse, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) recommended to the Trump Administration that the "minimal risk level" for PFAS exposure should be substantially lowered. This could means that even more households are at risk for dangerous levels of PFAS exposure than we know about.
