Rep. Wild Votes to Protect Public Health through PFAS Action Act

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) voted to pass H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act of 2019, to prioritize public health in the Greater Lehigh Valley. This comprehensive legislation addresses the urgent threat of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (referred to as PFAS) to public health by regulating these chemicals to prevent or limit human and environmental exposure and facilitating the cleanup of PFAS-related chemicals.

“No one should have to worry about whether or not their water is safe to drink. We have an obligation to the American people to ensure something so basic as their drinking water is not a public health hazard,” Wild said. “The EPA has known about the risks posed by PFAS for decades and failed to act. Our communities, like all of those impacted by the eleven contaminated water systems in Pennsylvania alone, cannot wait for action any longer. I am proud to put the health of my community first through this necessary legislation.”

In October, Wild and other Pennsylvania lawmakers joined a letter urging a comprehensive response to PFAS contamination and the designation of PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” are extremely persistent in the environment and are known to bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife. These man-made chemicals have long been linked with adverse health effects including cancer, immune system effects, infertility, impaired child development, high cholesterol, and thyroid disease. H.R. 535 would require the EPA to use tools under several environmental statutes to establish air emission limits, prohibit unsafe incineration of PFAS, and limit the introduction of new PFAS chemicals into commerce.

###