To All,
According to a federal study, California has the most known detections of toxic PFAS chemicals in the nation. But that study only looked for very high levels of a mere six chemicals in a family of 5000.
Protecting the public from toxic PFAS chemicals will require having a true understanding of PFAS in our water supplies. AB 756 is a commonsense bill that clarifies the State Water Board’s role in requiring public water systems to monitor for any PFAS with a verified testing method. This would help reveal the true scope of the problem by monitoring for more chemicals than the federal government has looked for. It also requires that the public be notified when PFAS are found.
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is opposing the bill; they want the state to limit monitoring to a weak federal plan that focuses on only two PFAS chemicals. They also claim that notifying the public about these chemicals would be burdensome. In other words, they want to keep you in the dark about chemicals that have been linked to cancer, liver toxicity, disruption of the immune and endocrine systems, neonatal toxicity, and environmental damage.
Several states are way ahead of California in trying to find out how much PFAS is in their environment and regulating those chemicals in drinking water. Tell your senator today to make sure our safety doesn’t lag behind. Request that your senator vote yes on AB 756.
For Clean Water,
Andria Ventura
Toxics Program Manager