On Thursday, February 29, 2024, LWVN – together with its cosponsors Better Action Now on Artificial Turf in Newton, Green Newton, Mothers Out Front Newton, and Massachusetts Sierra Club – held a Topic Meeting on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of man-made chemical compounds known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily in the environment. The panelists, in order of presentation, included: Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Boston University Professor of Environmental Health; Katharine Lange, Policy Director, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance; Deirdre Cummings, MassPIRG Legislative Director; and Halina Brown, past Professor of Toxicology at Clark University and past Chair of the Newton Energy Commission. The presentation included a description of what PFAS are and the harm they cause, how PFAS have infiltrated our environment including our waterways, and what is being done and can be done in the future to “turn off the tap” of harmful PFAS and mitigate the negative effects of PFAS.
Continue reading for more information about PFAS and a video of the event.
- On February 5, 2024, the Newton City Council unanimously passed a resolution requiring the city to avoid the purchase or use of products containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, called PFAS or “forever chemicals.” This marks the first city resolution against purchasing products with PFAS in Massachusetts, following the first town resolution passed in Brookline in 2023. See the Newton City Council Resolution. See the Sierra Club Massachusetts Press Release.
- LWVMA has made support of H.2197 /S.1356, An Act to Protect Massachusetts Public Health from PFAS, one of its legislative action priorities for this year. (See the Information Packet from the 2023 Day on the Hill.) This bill broadly implements the recommendations of the April 2022 PFAS Interagency Task Force report. PFAS are the single biggest toxic chemical threat we face as a nation and they are ubiquitous. Everything that is water- or stain-resistant or repellent uses them. They are in lipstick, toilet paper and artificial turf, to name only a few. The most important part of the bill is that it “turns off the tap” of toxic PFAS by phasing in the banning of their use in almost all products. These chemicals have been determined to cause testicular cancer and are associated with many other health problems by interfering with the immune and endocrine systems.
- Read here for more information on PFAs from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Movies on PFAS:
The Devil We Know, documentary of PFAS contamination in West VA
Dark Waters, Hollywood version of Devil We Know story
Burned, Protecting the Protectors
Burned, Protecting the Protectors
Sludge PFAS Uprising
No Defense, Documentary about contamination linked to Department of Defense use of PFAS-containing foams
The Poison in Us All, Bloomberg documentary
Additional articles from Silent Spring Institute: