The EPA plans to propose a drinking water standard by the end of the year to address harmful chemicals found in drinking water across the country. But environmentalists are skeptical.
Chemicals known as PFAS have been used to extinguish fires since the 1940s. But over time PFAS have seeped into the drinking water of nearby communities.
Susan Bodine, assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Eenforcement and Compliance Assurance, said PFAS is a known carcinogen, but the EPA needs more time to study its effects.
Executive Director Adrienne Esposito of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment said it’s too long of a process to establish a drinking water standard.
“We are very disturbed by the continued delay. This is a highly toxic chemical and unfortunately the EPA is moving at a pre-global warming glacial speed to regulate it.”
Esposito said the EPA may need a couple more years before regulations can be made.
