Sanders Unveils Bill to Combat Corporate Polluters and Protect Drinking Water

Sen. Bernie Sanders (Photo: Food and Water Watch)

The Prevent Future American Sickness (PFAS) Act will require the cleanup of a class of toxic “forever chemicals”

WASHINGTON, January 29 – Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Prevent Future American Sickness (PFAS) Act to require the cleanup of a class of toxic, so-called “forever chemicals”—known by their acronym PFAS—from America’s drinking water.

New laboratory testing found that PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—are prevalent in the tap water of 43 American cities. Environmental Working Group scientists now believe PFAS compounds are likely detectable in all major water supplies in the United States and that previous studies dramatically underestimated these toxins’ pervasiveness.

“As hundreds of communities across the country are dealing with toxic PFAS contamination in their drinking water,” Sen. Sanders said, “it is unconscionable that huge corporations like DuPont have, for decades, concealed evidence of how dangerous these compounds are in order to keep profiting at the expense of human health. Congress must pass this legislation to put an end to corporate stonewalling and criminal behavior and tackle this public health crisis. It is not a radical idea to demand that when people in the world’s richest country turn on their taps, the water they drink is free of toxic chemicals.”

“Every American—regardless of the color of their skin, their zip code, or their income—has the right to be free from exposure to a slew of carcinogens and hazardous chemicals,” said Sen. Merkley. “But millions of people are ingesting dangerous PFAS chemicals against their will through the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat. Congress needs to come together to put the health of our communities above the wish lists of American’s biggest polluters, and that means establishing and enforcing chemical standards that protect Americans from PFAS substances.”

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