Public employee environmental advocacy group says EPA needs to do more to regulate 'forever chemical' disposal
New waste shipment data analyzed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) underscore the urgent need for U.S. Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) to regulate the generation, transportation and disposal of waste contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals,” according to a new report released by PEER. The data, compiled by EPA from hazardous waste shipment manifests, depict a vast, unregulated, spreading web of PFAS waste disposal in the United States.
Human exposure to PFAS is associated with cancer, birth defects, developmental damage to infants, and impaired functioning of the liver, kidneys, and immune system. Because PFAS are highly persistent and many are highly mobile, PFAS in waste will often cycle back into the environment, where they will continue to enter the air we breathe and the water we drink.