99% of Americans exhibit some level of PFAS. The EPA warns that PFAS could cause health issues, including thyroid disorders, liver problems and cancer.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals found in many consumer products that are used daily, such as cookware, pizza boxes, and water and stain repellants for clothing. PFAS are also found in the environment, including drinking water, groundwater and soil. PFAS do not break down so they can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time, which is why they are called the “forever chemical.”
Federal regulation of PFAS is increasing and California recently set regulatory standards stricter than the rest of the nation. National attention to the potential environmental and health effects – and associated litigation and liabilities – of PFAS is also increasing due to the recent movie “Dark Waters” and two investigative documentaries titled “The Devil We Know” and “No Defense: the United States Military’s War on Water.”
On March 25, Meyers Nave Of Counsel Viviana Heger presented a one-hour MCLE webinar that covered the following PFAS topics:
- Sources, uses and the ubiquitous presence of PFAS
- PFAS toxic tort litigation and state settlements
- Compliance with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act
- Strategies to address regulatory actions in California
- Recent Congressional activities
- EPA’s New PFAS Action Plan and Addition of 160 PFAS to Toxics Release Inventory
- California Bills banning PFAS in firefighting foam and expanding water testing for all PFAS
- Manufacturers’ and purchasers’ voluntary phase-out programs
- Non-liability of public utilities
- Source determination and clean up
- Next on the horizon: PFAS compounds, bio-solids, and crops
The webinar was sponsored by the Association of Women in Water, Energy and Environment.