Hannah Goldman and Jamie Clancy
There are several organizations that highlight the dangers of PFAS and how widespread their usage is. Sierra Club, Department of Environmental Protection, The Natural Resources Defense Council, and Earth First have been influential in the fight against climate change and PFAS regulations.
Natural Resources Defense Council
The NRDC highlights three key concerns on why PFAS, dubbed “Forever Chemicals” are concerning:
- They resist breakdown: PFAS are chemically structured to be extremely durable, meaning they do not breakdown easily in the environment or human body.
- They spread quickly: PFAS move rapidly through air, water, wildlife, and soil which makes contamination difficult to control.
- They can harm health even at low levels: Even very small amounts of PFAS have been linked to negative health effects.
– Erik D. Olson, NRDC’s Senior Strategic Director of Health https://www.nrdc.org/stories/forever-chemicals-called-pfas-show-your-food-clothes-and-home
Environmental Protection Agency
Organizations, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, tend to go in depth about what they have accomplished and what regulations they have put in place. However, they lack as much depth in plans for the future. Specifically, the EPA’s road map describes what progress has been made in the three years leading up to November 2024, which is impressive, but includes only a few sections on what specifically will be done in the coming years.
There is more focus on awareness than combatting usage. The EPA stated that they intend on furthering their 2024 Road Map by collecting more data and placing more restrictions on PFAS usage. Though, this is more advancement for organizations and not much advocacy for individual efforts. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-11/epas-pfas-strategic-roadmap-2024_508.pdf
The Sierra Club
The Sierra Club warns that PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a rapidly growing public health crisis due to their persistence in water, air, and soil. Their links to cancer, immune dysfunction, and other serious health problems pose a huge risk to current and future generations. They are advocating for stronger regulations, corporate accountability, and cleanup efforts to address widespread contamination in order to protect communities from on going exposure.
Through their advocacy for regulation, corporate accountability, and environmental cleanup efforts, Sierra Club promotes getting involved using the following resources:
Breaking Down Toxic PFAS, Earthjustice.org
NJ Drinking WaterWatch – Enables you to view drinking water info for your water system
Middlesex Water shuts down contaminated wells, will use other sources (12/1721), MyCentralJersey.com
New Jersey Sierra Club Joins NJDEP to Hold Solvay Accountable for Gloucester Toxic Mess (5/28/2021)
PFAS Fact Sheet
https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey/pfas
