BOSTON: Clean Water Action is deeply disappointed that the Massachusetts Legislature ended this legislative session without taking a vote on An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS (S3034/H4870).
PFAS are a class of highly toxic chemicals that have contaminated drinking water, surface water, groundwater, soil, farms, and people throughout our state. These chemicals are linked to a host of serious illnesses, from several types of cancer to immunosuppression, colitis, and more. PFAS has been widely used in consumer products and industrial processes. Even an exceedingly small amount of PFAS in drinking water raises the risk of serious health problems over time.
Massachusetts is the only state in New England that has not banned PFAS in fabric sprays, firefighting foam, food packaging, textiles, personal care products, and children’s products. Across the country, 16 states have restricted PFAS in firefighting foam and other consumer products.
In the past eight years, Massachusetts has spent $1.48 billion to manage PFAS contamination, installing filters to filter PFAS out of drinking water, closing wells, and connecting to new water sources. Significant additional funding is expected via the environmental bond bill. But the Commonwealth has not yet taken the steps needed to reduce the amount of PFAS entering our state and being released from our industries. As a result, Massachusetts is continuing to mop up the bathroom floor without stopping to turn off the tap of incoming PFAS.
The Act to Protect Massachusetts Public Health from a PFAS was a strong bill that would have finally put our state on the path to restricting PFAS in consumer products, reducing PFAS releases and banning the harmful practice of putting wastewater sludge on farms and other land. It would have allowed our state to catch up to the many other states that have already taken action to reduce their residents’ exposure. Every year that the Legislature waits to act, the PFAS challenge worsens. PFAS levels in the environment rise, putting everyone at increased risk of getting one of the many serious illnesses linked to PFAS.
Well, over fifty percent of legislators in both chambers cosponsored the PFAS bill. Many legislators, Republican and Democrat, spoke with leadership to let them know that the bills were a top priority for their districts. And yet, the bills never came to the floor for a vote. Our attorney general is suing PFAS and firefighting foam manufacturers for the harm they created in our state. And yet we are allowing these companies to continue inflicting harm.
Massachusetts residents deserve better. Clean Water Action urges lawmakers to seize this opportunity to protect our communities and environment. By passing comprehensive PFAS legislation early in the next session - and ensuring that this legislation actually puts Massachusetts on a path to removing PFAS in most consumer products where it is not needed - the Commonwealth can turn frustration into progress and ensure that future generations inherit cleaner water, safer products, and a healthier state.
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Since Clean Water Action’s founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power to the table. We have had an active presence in Massachusetts since 1982 – working on water, waste, energy, air quality, and toxic issues.