BOSTON, MA - A broad coalition of public health, consumer, municipal, environmental and community organizations along with academics, scientists and firefighters urged lawmakers to protect our drinking water and our health from toxic chemicals at a State House hearing today.
Testifying before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health, the advocates and members of the public urged the committee to act quickly to pass the Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS (H2450 & S1504) filed by state Sen Julian Cyr (Provincetown) and Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan (Stow). The bill would phase out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in many products, cut industrial discharges of PFAS; and set up a fund to help communities test and treat PFAS in drinking water, soil, and groundwater.
PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals that are used in many consumer products and industrial applications. They are toxic even at very low level exposure. PFAS increase the risk of developing cancers, immunosuppression, liver disease, and developmental and reproductive illnesses.
"PFAS are toxic forever chemicals that are everywhere — in our water, our soil, and even our bodies. Massachusetts families shouldn't have to wonder if their drinking water is safe or if the everyday products they use will expose them to PFAS. Our omnibus legislation turns off the tap by banning intentionally added PFAS in food packaging and priority consumer products, empowers DPH to restrict more products as science evolves, and directs MassDEP to monitor and curb industrial discharges. This bill aims to phase out PFAS at the source and advance tools to clean up contamination. The time to act is now." Senator Julian Cyr, Provincetown
“One of the most important parts of the bill is that it gets to the source of the problem - essentially “turning off the tap” of toxic PFAS by phasing out its use in many products,” said Deirdre Cummings, Legislative Director, MASSPIRG, “preventing our PFAS problem from getting even worse.”
People are exposed by drinking water, eating food or breathing in air and dust that has been contaminated with PFAS. When products containing PFAS are manufactured and disposed of, PFAS leach into the soil, groundwater and drinking water. In Massachusetts, 172 public water systems in 96 cities and towns, and many private wells, have exceeded the state’s legal limit (Maximum Contaminant Level) for PFAS.
Describing the importance of her bill, Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan noted, "H2450 is a comprehensive bill that supports the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat PFAS contamination. Several provisions in the original bill have already been enacted, and in partnership with our state agencies, Massachusetts is working hard to mitigate PFAS contamination and prevent future pollution. It's critical that we continue to lay a legislative foundation and provide the means for regulating PFAS chemicals and allocating funds for cleanup and prevention in Massachusetts."
“Other states have already enacted laws to restrict PFAS in some or all products,” said Laura Spark, Environmental Health Program Director at Clean Water Action. “Now it’s our turn. PFAS contamination in Massachusetts will keep getting worse until PFAS restrictions go into effect.”
Key components of An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS include:
- Bans PFAS in many products, starting with food packaging, children’s products, fabric treatments, clothing, cookware, personal care products, cookware, carpets and rugs, and upholstered furniture. Establishes a process for adding additional products for restriction.
- Regulates PFAS as a class of chemicals.
- Creates a PFAS Remediation Trust Fund to help communities test and treat PFAS in soil, drinking water and groundwater.
- Requires the Department of Environmental Protection, (DEP) to restrict industry discharges of PFAS to groundwater and surface water.
Coalition Statement:
“Massachusetts has a PFAS problem and we are grateful to Senator Cyr and Representative Hogan for tackling it. As chairs of the PFAS Interagency Task Force, they completed an extensive analysis on PFAS in Massachusetts, culminating in a report that found ‘The extent of PFAS contamination is vast and the time to act is now’. We couldn’t agree more and very much look forward to working with them, the Committee, and members of the legislature to pass the bill into law, this session.”
The coalition includes: Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, MASSPIRG, Association of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Beyond Plastics Greater Boston, Built Environment Plus, Clean Production Action, Clean Water Action, Conservation Law Foundation, Community Action Works, Duxbury Safe Water, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, Green Needham, Green Newton, Healthlink, League of Women Voters, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, Massachusetts Coalition of Occupational Safety and Health, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Nantucket PFAS Action Group, Northeast Organic Farming Organization/Massachusetts Chapter, Northeastern University Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute/The PFAS Project Lab, Our Bodies Ourselves, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Regeneration Massachusetts, Resilient Sisterhood Program, Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment, Seaside Sustainability, Sierra Club Massachusetts, Slingshot, Sustainable Sharon, and Vineyard Conservation Society.