Congressman McGarvey Sends Letter to EPA Administrator About Concerning Spike in Forever Chemicals Detected in the Ohio River
Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin raising the alarm about a sharp spike in forever chemicals detected in the Ohio River, which is downstream of notorious polluters like the Chemours Washington Works Plant.
Data from Louisville Water shows that in November 2024, detected levels of the PFAS chemical GenX spiked dramatically, jumping from under 5 parts per trillion (ppt) to over 50 ppt. Studies have revealed that GenX consumption can have adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, immune system, offspring development, and an association with cancer.
"Water safety impacts all Louisvillians, which is why I am deeply concerned by the significant spike in the detection of the forever chemical GenX in the Ohio River last November,” said Congressman McGarvey. “For weeks, my office has been in touch with relevant stakeholders who share my concerns which is why today, I am urging EPA Administrator Zeldin to consider the troubling health impacts that communities across the country will face in the event that Trump's EPA takes the side of polluters."
Full text:
Dear Administrator Zeldin,
In light of your announced intention to revisit maximum contaminant levels for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and related chemicals, I am writing to express a significant concern for my district, Louisville, Kentucky, and the numerous communities that rely on the Ohio River for their drinking water. I urge you to carefully consider the concerning health impacts that these communities and others across the country will face if per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances continue to pollute our nation’s waters.
Further, if your review of the regulatory determinations made under the Safe Drinking Water Act does lead to reduced protections for Kentuckians with PFAS in their drinking water, I ask that you please provide your plan to prevent the continued release of PFAS pollutants into their waterways in the first place and how to hold polluters accountable for alarming spikes like the one seen in November 2024. The chart indicating this spike is included below.
While Louisville Water remains confident in its ability to treat the water from the Ohio River, the responsibility of preventing PFAS from entering the waterways ultimately lies with the polluters themselves. Data from Louisville Water, which provides drinking water to roughly one million customers in Jefferson, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt, Hardin, and Nelson counties in Kentucky, shows that in November 2024, detected levels of the PFAS chemical GenX spiked dramatically, jumping from under 5 parts per trillion (ppt) to over 50 ppt.
Chemours, a spin-off of DuPont Chemicals, developed hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, or GenX) as a replacement for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in various industrial and consumer applications. GenX was designed to address concerns stemming from litigation related to PFOA’s toxicity. It is used in high-performance polymers for manufacturing cabling, cookware, non-stick coatings, laptops, cell phones, and other similar applications. GenX chemicals have been found in surface water, groundwater, drinking water, rainwater, and air emissions. Studies have revealed that GenX consumption can have adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, immune system, offspring development, and an association with cancer.
In 2024, EPA established the first-ever national drinking water standards to protect Americans from exposure to a wide range of PFAS, including GenX. Per your May announcement, EPA now intends to rescind regulations for GenX and some other PFAS chemicals while conducting a review of the legal process in making those regulatory determinations under the Safe Drinking Water Act. As your agency conducts this review of the regulatory process, I urge you to consider the harm that rescinding GenX limits in drinking water will have on my constituents and other communities along the Ohio River downstream of notorious polluters like the Chemours Washington Works Plant.
I appreciate your attention to this matter.
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