Legislative Remedies
Maryland's State House in Annapolis
March 8, 2020 - There’s a weak bill circulating in Maryland's General Assembly that would ban the use of PFAS substances during civilian firefighter training purposes. Defenders of the bill say it is a modest, but useful step to close the door on some uses of these toxic chemicals and to start the discussion on stricter legislation. Let’s flip the legislative etch-a-sketch upside down, give it a good shake, and start all over.
No one should be drinking water containing PFAS. It's poisonous.
Because the Trump administration’s EPA is asleep at the switch, it’s imperative the General Assembly takes the lead in protecting Marylanders and our environment. Maryland is behind the learning curve on this issue. Public health professionals and environmentalists in the US and internationally are calling PFAS one of the greatest threats to human health in all human history.
Here are several measures that ought to go into a responsible bill:
Maryland must establish a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 1 part per trillion, (ppt.) in groundwater and drinking water for all PFAS types combined.
Maryland must immediately ban of the use of all fire-fighting foams containing PFAS. Capable substitutes known as fluorine-free foams, or 3F are in regular use throughout European airports.
The state must begin the testing of all source water for municipal water systems to determine the levels of at least 14 PFAS chemicals, as California has done.
Likewise, the state must test private groundwater wells - especially those closest to the burn pits of military bases, municipal airports, and fire training areas. Groundwater plumes may travel for miles.
Legislation calling for the state to pick up the tab for private well testing within a mile of these sites would be prudent - and that should be expanded if results show the presence of the cancer-causing agents in the well water.
The state must immediately publish a public warning to those who drink well water within 3 miles of the sites identified above. The emergency health warning should specifically target women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.
Maryland must establish a PFAS infrastructure grant program for municipal water providers. These funds would be used primarily to establish Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter systems to filter out the carcinogens so that tap water may be provided under the newly established MCL.
Maryland must immediately ban the incineration of PFAS. The military admits that the foam it uses is engineered to resist super-hot temperatures and is extraordinarily difficult to burn. There’s not enough science out there to justify burning PFAS.
The state must immediately order the testing of sewage sludge to determine the levels of PFAS and we must establish an MCL for such materials and prohibit the contaminated materials from being spread on farm fields that may contaminate food grown for human consumption.
Maryland must immediately test surface waters throughout the state to determine the levels of PFAS and the state must develop an MCL for all tidal as well as non-tidal waters statewide.
No one should be drinking water containing PFAS. It's poisonous.
Because the Trump administration’s EPA is asleep at the switch, it’s imperative the General Assembly takes the lead in protecting Marylanders and our environment. Maryland is behind the learning curve on this issue. Public health professionals and environmentalists in the US and internationally are calling PFAS one of the greatest threats to human health in all human history.
Here are several measures that ought to go into a responsible bill:
Maryland must establish a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 1 part per trillion, (ppt.) in groundwater and drinking water for all PFAS types combined.
Maryland must immediately ban of the use of all fire-fighting foams containing PFAS. Capable substitutes known as fluorine-free foams, or 3F are in regular use throughout European airports.
The state must begin the testing of all source water for municipal water systems to determine the levels of at least 14 PFAS chemicals, as California has done.
Likewise, the state must test private groundwater wells - especially those closest to the burn pits of military bases, municipal airports, and fire training areas. Groundwater plumes may travel for miles.
Legislation calling for the state to pick up the tab for private well testing within a mile of these sites would be prudent - and that should be expanded if results show the presence of the cancer-causing agents in the well water.
The state must immediately publish a public warning to those who drink well water within 3 miles of the sites identified above. The emergency health warning should specifically target women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.
Maryland must establish a PFAS infrastructure grant program for municipal water providers. These funds would be used primarily to establish Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter systems to filter out the carcinogens so that tap water may be provided under the newly established MCL.
Maryland must immediately ban the incineration of PFAS. The military admits that the foam it uses is engineered to resist super-hot temperatures and is extraordinarily difficult to burn. There’s not enough science out there to justify burning PFAS.
The state must immediately order the testing of sewage sludge to determine the levels of PFAS and we must establish an MCL for such materials and prohibit the contaminated materials from being spread on farm fields that may contaminate food grown for human consumption.
Maryland must immediately test surface waters throughout the state to determine the levels of PFAS and the state must develop an MCL for all tidal as well as non-tidal waters statewide.