Stop the PFAS Crime Against Humanity
President Joseph R. Biden
Background
On January 7, 2021, the U.S. EPA rejected a Toxic Control Substances Act (TSCA) petition on PFAS that six North Carolinian environmental groups put forth seeking relief from toxic PFAS exposure. PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic organic chemicals created by chemical manufacturers. The chemistry of PFAS keeps them from breaking down in the environment and our bodies, and this is why they have earned the infamous name “Forever Chemicals.”
PFAS can be found in many household products, and have been linked to cancer, low birth weight, high cholesterol, effects on the immune system, and thyroid hormone disruption. A chemical manufacturer, named Chemours, has released a large quantity of PFAS into the Cape Fear River, the primary drinking water supply for 300,000 North Carolinians living downstream from Chemours. Large concentrations of these chemicals have now made their way into the bodies of countless North Carolinians.
Last October, North Carolinian environmental groups collaborated and wrote a petition that was sent to the EPA. This petition would have chemical manufacturers like Chemours fund studies of the impact of PFAS on the health of North Carolinians. When this petition was rejected, so were people’s rights to health and safety.
We are students at the University of Cincinnati, dedicated to environmental justice, standing in solidarity with these environmental groups, and asking for your support. Join us in signing and sending the letter below to President Biden, and please share the petition with others and encourage them to sign as well.
For more information, please visit:
Petition by
To:
President Joseph R. Biden
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Mr. President,
In your “Plan to Secure Environmental Justice and Equitable Economic Opportunity,” you included setting enforceable limits for PFAS chemicals in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and designating PFAS as a “hazardous substance” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). While this is necessary as a first step to cleanse our country and Earth of these harmful chemicals, there must be a step two on the horizon. While your administration recognizes that action must be taken against the use of PFAS in the production of our daily household items, the Environmental Protection Agency of 2020 did not. When the EPA denied the PFAS Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Petition sent by Clean Cape Fear, not only did they deny the people of North Carolina their basic right to clean water, they stood for the very manufacturing companies, namely Dupont and Chemours, which have poisoned us, and therefore failed to protect human health and the environment.
As students at the University of Cincinnati, we are engaged in service learning to help bring justice to those impacted by forever chemicals, specifically those who live in the Cape Fear River basin. We are writing in solidarity with Clean Cape Fear, Center for Environmental Health, Cape Fear River Watch, Democracy Green, Toxic Free NC, and the NC Black Alliance, and are asking you in one harmonious voice: will you stand for the health of the public and the safety of our environment?
This fight should not be without tangible support from you, Mr. President, as the leader and defender of public health in the United States. PFAS chemicals damage the environment, harm wildlife, and attack the health of American citizens. Stand behind your promise, Mr. President, by granting the previous petition for medical monitoring and by immediately regulating PFAS chemicals as a class.
Sincerely,
Writing for Justice Students at UC, and all those who’ve signed on supporting justice for residents of the Cape Fear River basin.