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Last month, the EPA announced a final rule designating two polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA): PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that are also referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their resistance to breaking down in the environment over time. They’ve […]
On August 26, 2022, the EPA proposed to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), including their salts and structural isomers, as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as “Superfund.” These substances are two of the most widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are […]
Companies doing business in California that utilize per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their products or operations are advised to closely follow developments related to recent steps by the California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to further regulate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and other PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water […]
Environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals and their organizations should be following the ongoing conversation surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We continue to learn more about this large family of chemicals and their impact on both human health and the environment—and PFAS are increasingly coming under more expansive regulatory scrutiny.
On February 20 and 24, 2020, the EPA announced three developments under its action plan for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS Action Plan).
By a vote of 247 to 159, the House passed the PFAS Action Act of 2019 (H.R. 535). The bill would amend five environmental statutes—the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Clean Air Act (CAA), and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)—by […]
In its February 2019 Action Plan for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the EPA said it planned to consider listing some PFAS under the federal Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and Section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)). The Agency has now taken the […]
Many stakeholders are following—or should be following—the federal government’s plans to address the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on human health and the environment. There is a lot to follow. PFAS are a family of chemicals first synthesized in the 1940s. It is a very large family. According to the EPA’s February 2019 […]
In February 2019, the EPA issued its Action Plan for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Plan listed five priority actions and four short-term actions to address “key PFAS-related challenges.” One of the priority actions is to provide guidance for groundwater cleanup at sites contaminated with the two PFAS that have prompted the most concern—perfluorooctanoic […]
In its Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan, released in February 2019, the EPA noted that in 2018, it initiated the regulatory development process for listing the two most problematic PFAS—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund).