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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) joined the House Oversight and Reform Committee for a hearing on clean up and corporate accountability for PFAS contamination across the country.

Video of Dingell’s questioning is available here.

“It has been firmly established that PFAS is a health risk and is linked to liver disease, thyroid dysfunction and several forms of cancer,” said Dingell. “Government officials at all levels must work together to determine how to clean up current PFAS contamination, clean it up quickly and efficiently as possible, and prevent any further contaminations and dangers going forward. We made repeated attempts to require the EPA to list PFAS as a hazardous substance under the Superfund program. Doing so will ensure timely clean up, as well as phase out its usage. As congress works to undertake this, we must also understand what corporations knew the potential harm of PFAS and hold them accountable and responsible for the damage done.”

In Congress, Dingell is a leader on tackling PFAS contamination and clean up. Dingell has led the introduction of The PFAS Action Act which would simply require the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list all PFAS chemicals, including PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals, as hazardous substances under the Superfund clean-up program within one year.

When asked about designating PFAS has a hazardous substance under the Superfund Program, former Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson said, “It would be very helpful to call [PFAS] a hazardous substance under CERCLA because it will bring to bear known processes for cleaning up these chemicals in communities. It will also help with the clean up around military installations and bases where the military hasn’t been really quick to clean it up. Soldiers are drinking this water – and their families. So it would be very helpful for Congress to do that.”

Recent reporting has shown there is an expanding PFAS contamination crisis in Michigan and across the country. PFAS chemicals have been linked to liver disease, thyroid dysfunction, and several forms of cancer. These chemicals have continued to show up in drinking water and communities – especially near military facilities, commercial airports, and manufacturing sites. With over 192 sites contaminated, Michigan has the most known contaminated sites in the United States.

Earlier this summer, three of Dingell’s provisions to address PFAS contamination were included in the Defense budget for next fiscal year. The provisions would require the Federal government to designate PFAS as a hazardous substance for the purpose of clean up under the EPA’s Superfund Program, facilitate coordinated response between local communities and the military to clean up PFAS chemicals, and ban the use of PFAS in packaging of meals eaten by men and women in uniform. She also led legislation to ban PFAS in food containers and cookware.

Dingell has long-urged the EPA to set a national MCL for all PFAS compounds so there is one national standard for all water systems to ensure safe drinking water. Currently, states may issue public health warnings when contaminant levels reach 70 ppt (parts per trillion), as set by the EPA, but there are no enforcement mechanisms. Dingell supports setting a maximum contaminant level for all PFAS chemicals to address the severe health effects that have been linked to even low levels of exposure.

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