PFAS don’t HAVE to be forever, IF we stand up. Here’s how:

PFAS seep into groundwater when they are manufactured, used in products or agriculture, and through the landfills where they are disposed Join us at a public hearing or comment online! PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they last a long time in the environment, including in our groundwater. PFAS are linked to cancer, low birth weight, autoimmune disorders, and so much more. However, there are solutions. If we stand up for our communities, PFAS don’t have to be forever. Setting strong groundwater standards is an important part of getting to the solution. This month, stand up with Clean Water for NC & allies at a public hearing on PFAS in your area. You can also submit your comment online. Right now, NC DEQ is considering setting final standards for 3 PFAS in groundwater. That’s less than the interim standards they recently adopted for 8 types of PFAS in groundwater. Let NC Department of Environmental Quality know: We support these standards for these 3 PFAS. We want to DEQ to adopt permanently the interim standards they set for the other 5 PFAS. That the only real solution to prevent continuing buildup of PFAS chemicals in our environment is to stop production of these “convenience chemicals” for stain resistance, stick free properties, etc. Join CWFNC at the last public hearing in RALEIGH, TODAY Raleigh December 3, 2024, 6 pm (doors 5pm) Ground Floor Hearing Room, Archdale Building, 512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 Check out talking points below! Even if you don’t comment, your presence at a hearing sends a LOUD message to decision makers. Submit a comment online! From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024, Email comments: [email protected] Mail to: Bridget Shelton NC DEQ Division of Water Resources, Planning Section 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1611 Talking points for your comment below!     Talking points for your comment What’s wrong with PFAS (also known as forever chemicals): PFAS stay in environment for years, some can collect over time in humans and animals. They can even be passed down through generations from mother to child through umbilical cord blood and breastfeeding. PFAS are linked to cancer and increased risk of heart disease, lowered immune function, PFAS jeopardize NC’s future, they are linked to birth defects, infertility, & low birth weight. NC DEQ estimates 1/3 of North Carolinian’s drinking water has PFAS above the EPA’s limits. More than 80 public water systems have detected PFAS in the groundwater that is their drinking water source, and thousands, if not tens of thousands of private well owners in the state have PFAS in their water. Talking points on groundwater standards: Support adopting the proposed groundwater standards for these 3 PFAS. Demand DEQ permanently adopt the interim standards they set for the other 5 PFAS as well. In spring 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals, requiring public drinking water to be tested and treated for PFAS. Unfortunately, these rules do not protect residents who rely on private well water as their primary source of drinking water, making state action vital to protect public health. To protect North Carolina community members from PFAS exposure, the Environmental Management Commission should adopt this proposal, but also move forward with a “class-based” or “subclass” approach to PFAS—this means regulating many PFAS together at once. With thousands PFAS in use – and with similar and cumulative toxic impacts – regulating them three at a time will take too long to protect human health. Groundwater standards are not enough, we need to set strong limits on PFAS in surface water. We need to set health protective standards for additional PFAS, including ones in more recent use. The three standards in the current proposal are for PFAS chemicals that were used more commonly in the past; meanwhile companies are using – and spilling – many other, newer PFAS that are also toxic.

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