Sec. 2. Findings

364 words·~2 min read·/bill/116/s/3227/is/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds that— PFAS have been found in the blood of 99 percent of individuals in the United States; PFAS chemicals have so far been confirmed in the groundwater or tap water of more than 1,400 communities; based on sampling data, scientists estimate that more than 100,000,000 individuals in the United States may be drinking water contaminated with PFAS; the Environmental Protection Agency was first notified about the health risks posed by PFAS in 1998, but has failed to set a drinking water standard or restrict ongoing releases in the air and water; existing treatment technologies can reduce the quantity of PFAS in tap water to levels below 2 parts per trillion; the Environmental Protection Agency has established lifetime health advisory levels for some PFAS chemicals at 70 parts per trillion; a June 2018 study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the Department of Health and Human Services found that PFAS chemicals pose a danger to human health at a level far lower than the lifetime health advisory level established by the Environmental Protection Agency;

PFAS chemical contamination sites appear with particularly high frequency in the States of New Jersey, Michigan, and California, with contamination levels as high as— 27,800 parts per trillion found in New Jersey; 1,200,000 parts per trillion found in Michigan; and 8,000,000 parts per trillion found in California; the Department of Defense estimates that PFAS cleanup on military bases will surpass the original cost estimate of the Department of Defense of $2,000,000,000; a study published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health estimated the economic cost of PFAS contamination from increased numbers of low birth weight infants was $13,700,000,000 from 2003 through 2014;

States such as Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Michigan are leading the way in terms of setting robust drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals; the State of Vermont has implemented the strictest standard for PFAS chemicals in the United States, with a maximum contaminant level of 20 parts per trillion for the sum of 5 PFAS chemicals; and the States of Washington and Maine are leading the way in terms of taking action to limit PFAS chemicals in food packaging.