Alaska Senate bill would expand regulation of ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – Alaska Public Media

Alaska lawmakers are contemplating a invoice that may broaden testing and rules for PFAS chemical compounds in ingesting water, which has been linked to most cancers and different critical well being situations.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, has sponsored laws that may police seven sorts of the so-called “ceaselessly chemical compounds,” which don’t break down and sometimes enter the atmosphere from firefighting foams used at airports.

“This stuff are unhealthy for folks in extraordinarily small quantities. We’re speaking about components per trillion in your ingesting water,” Kiehl advised the Senate Finance Committee on April 12.

PFAS motion ranges altered in 2019

State regulators in 2018 started policing six sorts of PFAS within the closing days of Gov. Invoice Walker’s administration after PFAS was found in ingesting water in wells throughout Alaska. The incoming Dunleavy administration watered down these rules the next yr. They now mirror federal requirements and apply to 2 of the commonest sorts of PFAS.

Amongst different issues, Senate Invoice 121 would broaden motion ranges to seven varieties and decrease the brink of what are thought-about acceptable ranges of PFAS in ingesting water. The upshot can be extra households and companies with PFAS of their groundwater could possibly be eligible to obtain different sources of ingesting water from the state by getting into the regulatory requirements straight into regulation.

Kiehl advised the Senate committee that the invoice would additionally closely limit the usage of the commonest contamination supply in Alaska — firefighting foams that comprise PFAS — besides in sure circumstances.

“The invoice has an exception for these within the oil and gasoline enterprise till an alternate firefighting substance is discovered,” he mentioned.

Many firefighting foams designed to place out gas fires comprise PFAS.

Rural Alaskans converse out on well being dangers

Yakutat Borough Supervisor Jon Erickson testified in help of the PFAS invoice. He says his Southeast neighborhood has PFAS contamination in wells close to the state-owned airport.

“And there are a selection of different companies on the market,” he testified by phone. “And they’re all utilizing PFAS right now. DOT noticed the issue and they also ship in circumstances of bottled water. So the eating places can nonetheless function.”

He says extending municipal water within the space that’s not PFAS contaminated would value the neighborhood of 600 folks a minimum of $6 million, in accordance with estimates from state officers.

Native Peoples Motion — an Indigenous rights community — helps the laws, the Anchorage-based nonprofit’s coverage director Jackie Boyer advised the committee.

“Research have additionally proven that Alaska Native endure at better threat for sure cancers,” Boyer mentioned. “So it’s all very regarding that there are such a lot of confirmed contaminated websites in Alaska.”

A companion invoice within the Home was launched final yr. However it’s unclear when both chamber would vote to determine the brand new PFAS requirements within the regulation. Moreover, if handed, the regulation would give state regulators the authority to make the requirements extra stringent, however they might not loosen up the motion ranges to lower than outlined within the invoice.

The laws additionally outlines that state air permits can be required to incinerate PFAS chemical compounds to make sure they don’t leech into the atmosphere within the course of. To this point that’s been a technically difficult prospect, because the long-chain compounds are very troublesome to interrupt down.

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