State of New York begins fight against three toxins in your drinking water
The state of New York has new recommendations for drinking water standards, recommendations that should make your drinking water inherently safer. The new legislation seeks to limit the amount of 3 specific toxins: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-dioxane. The legislation is now in the hands of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and awaits his signature.
PFOA and PFOS are often found in firefighting foam, and are products that are “resistant to water, grease, or stains.” The popular chemicals have been linked to prenatal development issues and kidney & testicular cancers. As for 1,4-dioxane, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suspects it’s a human carcinogen.
These toxins were initially introduced for use in agricultural, industrial, and manufacturing industries. Unfortunately, like a number of the products of yesteryear as we conduct more research and see their use increase, we've learned more about the dangers of using these chemicals.
In addition to the PFOA and PFOS ban for drinking water, the legislation would also ban the use of 1,4-dioxane for use in any household products by the end of 2022, and as Long Island Weekly reports, “ban PFAS and PFOA from being used or manufactured for firefighting foam in New York and allow public water authorities to take water polluters to court in New York and recover the cost of treating our water for these chemicals.” This is a bold stance taken by New York state, let’s see if the men and women in charge can follow through.
To read Long Island Weekly’s full story on the potential legislation, click here: https://bit.ly/33oYHAA