[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "California lawmakers vote to phase out toxic firefighting foam"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

California lawmakers vote to phase out toxic firefighting foam

By ANNA M. PHILLIPS
Los Angeles Times (CA)
August 30, 2020

California lawmakers voted Sunday to phase out the sale and use of firefighting foam containing toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer and have contaminated drinking water throughout the state.

The measure, put forward by state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), requires municipal fire departments, chemical plants and oil refineries to gradually stop using the foam, replacing it with alternatives that don’t contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals commonly known as PFAS.

Scientists have called PFAS “forever chemicals” because they persist indefinitely and accumulate in the human body. Exposure to them has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, as well as high levels of cholesterol, thyroid disease and other serious health problems.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-08-30/california-lawmakers-vote-to-phase-out-toxic-firefighting-foam

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Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org





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