{ "id": "R45986", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R45986", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Federal Role in Responding to Potential Risks of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)", "retrieved": "2022-09-07T04:03:24.017821", "id": "R45986_3_2022-08-10", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2022-08-10_R45986_6fcd55f2779f35613aa6c413e43b9ef067eb177e.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45986/3", "sha1": "6fcd55f2779f35613aa6c413e43b9ef067eb177e" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2022-08-10_R45986_6fcd55f2779f35613aa6c413e43b9ef067eb177e.html" } ], "date": "2022-08-10", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45986", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 606957, "date": "2019-10-23", "retrieved": "2019-10-31T22:06:16.748310", "title": "Federal Role in Responding to Potential Risks of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)", "summary": "Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of fluorinated compounds that have been used for various purposes, including numerous commercial, industrial, and U.S. military applications. Some common uses include food packaging, nonstick coatings, and stain-resistance fabrics, and as an ingredient in fire suppressants in Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) used at U.S. military installations, at civilian airports, and by state and local fire departments, and elsewhere. PFAS persist in the environment and in humans, and studies on several PFAS indicate that exposures above certain levels are associated with various adverse health effects.\nSome PFAS\u2014primarily perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)\u2014have been detected in soil, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water in numerous locations. These detections\u2014associated with releases from federal and industrial facilities, civilian airports, and fire department facilities\u2014have prompted calls for increased federal action and authority to prevent and mitigate releases of and exposures to PFAS.\nFederal actions to address potential risks from PFAS have focused mostly on PFOS and PFOA because of past uses, prevalence in the environment, and availability of health effects research. These actions have been taken primarily under the authorities of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and related Department of Defense (DOD) response authorities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used various authorities to address PFAS in commerce, public water supplies, and in the environment. \nUnder TSCA, EPA has taken actions over recent decades to gather and assess existing information on the risks of PFOS, PFOA, and certain other PFAS. The agency has required manufacturers to develop new information to evaluate risks of various PFAS and has issued orders restricting the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, and/or disposal pending the development of new risk information. In addition, EPA worked with U.S. manufacturers as they voluntarily phased out production of PFOS, PFOA, and related substances. \nUnder SDWA, EPA is evaluating PFOA and PFOS to determine whether national drinking water regulations are warranted. EPA plans to propose preliminary determinations in 2019. Among other actions, EPA has issued nonenforceable health advisory levels for PFOA and PFOS, intended to be protective over a lifetime of daily exposure, and has used SDWA emergency powers to issue enforcement orders to require responses to drinking water contamination by PFAS. \nDOD and other federal agencies have used CERCLA authorities to respond to releases of various PFAS at federal facilities, although such responses are not statutorily required. DOD administers the vast majority of federal facilities where PFAS has been detected. DOD has been responding to releases of PFOA and PFOS from the use of AFFF at active and decommissioned U.S. military installations under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. DOD has been phasing out the use of AFFF that contains PFOA or PFOS to reduce the risks of future releases.\nSeveral federal agencies, including EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, have been evaluating potential health effects that may be associated with exposures to various PFAS. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are addressing risks of PFAS in dairy milk, other foods, and food contact applications.\nVarious stakeholders have urged federal agencies to act more quickly and broadly to address potential PFAS risks and to provide assistance to address contamination. In the 116th Congress, more than 40 bills, including House- and Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bills for FY2020 (H.R. 2500 and S. 1790), would address PFAS through various federal agencies and authorities (see Table 2). Among other PFAS provisions, H.R. 2500 would establish liability for PFAS response costs though designation of PFAS as hazardous substances, both under CERCLA and through the Clean Water Act, while S. 1790 would expand DOD response requirements to include releases of any pollutant or contaminant. Unlike H.R. 2500, S. 1790 would amend SDWA to direct EPA to issue drinking water standards for PFAS and for other purposes. Both bills would address PFAS under other statutes and new authorities. Several bills, including H.R. 2500 and S. 1790, would variously authorize funds to be appropriated to assist communities in addressing contaminated water supplies.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45986", "sha1": "f732fcfa5a1e448738037c44f166c9e2c5526518", "filename": "files/20191023_R45986_f732fcfa5a1e448738037c44f166c9e2c5526518.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45986", "sha1": "9f480d215e1a452631ba65401f455ed5e910a06b", "filename": "files/20191023_R45986_9f480d215e1a452631ba65401f455ed5e910a06b.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Environmental Policy", "National Defense", "Science and Technology Policy" ] }