New Limits On Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' Coming: What It Means In CA

CALIFORNIA — The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to impose new limits on "forever chemicals" — a class of chemicals linked to infertility, thyroid problems and several types of cancer — that could cost billions of dollars to remove, especially burdening California's smallest communities.

Human-made polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are known as forever chemicals because of their durability in high heat and water, which means they remain in the environment for years without breaking down.

Concerned about the chemicals' ability to weaken children's immune systems, the EPA said last year that PFAS could cause harm at levels "much lower than previously understood." They're found in a range of food and consumer products, and are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable, according to the EPA.

There is also evidence the compounds are linked to low birth weight, kidney cancer and a slew of other health issues.

No state is untouched by PFAS contamination, according to a map compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization sometimes criticized for exaggerating certain toxicity risks. But a growing body of scholarly and government research backs the assertion of both the EPA and EWG that, even at low levels currently, these chemicals can cause harm over a person's lifetime.

Here is a partial list of cities or water systems in California where PFAS contamination has been detected in the water supply include:

• Amarillo Mutual Water Company
• Anaheim
• Anderson
• Atascadero
• Bakersfield
• Bishop
• Buena Park
• Burbank
• Cal-am Water Company - Duarte
• Chico
• Chino
• Clovis
• Coachella Valley Water District
• Corona
• Crescent City
• Dunnigan
• Eastern Municipal Water District
• El Monte Water Department
• Elk Grove
• Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District

• Fairfield
• Fresno
• Fullerton
• Garden Grove
• Glendale
• Glendora Water Department
• Goleta
• Irvine Ranch Water District
• Isleton
• Jurupa Community Services District
• La Verne WD
• Lake Hemet Municipal Water District
• Lancaster
• Lassen County Water District #1
• Lathrop
• Livermore
• Loma Linda
• Lomita Water Department
• Long Beach
• Los Angeles
• Marina Coast Water District
• Mariposa
• Merced
• Modesto
• Monterey
• Monterey Park
• Mt. Shasta
• Newhall
• Newport Beach
• Olivehurst
• Orange
• Oroville
• Pleasanton
• Red Bluff
• Redding
• Rialto
• Riverside
• Sacramento
• San Lorenzo Valley Water District
• San Luis Obispo
• San Jose
• San Juan Capistrano
• Santa Ana
• Santa Barbara
• Santa Clara Valley Water District
• Santa Maria
• Santa Rosa
• South Gate
• Stockton
• Tustin
• Valley County Water District
• Valencia Water Company
• Victorville
• Visalia
• Walnut Grove
• Willows
• Yorba Linda
• Yuba City

PFAS chemicals have been used in a range of products, including nonstick pans, food packaging and firefighting foam. Their use is now mostly phased out in the United States, but some still remain.

"We as a community of scientists and policymakers and regulators really missed the boat early on," Susan Pinney, director of the Center for Environmental Genetics at the University of Cincinnati, told The Associated Press.

The tough standards and testing under the coming EPA rules undoubtedly will reveal PFAS chemicals in more water supplies nationwide. The deadline for the proposal is Friday, but it first must be reviewed by the White House office of Management and Budget. As of Thursday, that review hadn't been finished.

"This rule would help ensure that communities are not being poisoned," said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, senior attorney, toxic exposure and health at Earthjustice, told The Associated Press.

It could cost about $38 billion to remove enough of the chemicals to meet the EPA rule that would require cities to eliminate them to non-detectable limits, according to an estimate prepared for the AP by engineering consultant Black & Veatch for the American Water Works Association, an industry group.

The consultant looked at federal and state test results and estimated that 4 percent to 12 percent of water providers nationally will need to treat for PFAS due to the EPA rule.

Smaller, poorer communities will have a harder time affording the new systems and training staff on how to use them, experts said. And in general, smaller water providers with fewer resources already violate water quality rules more often than utilities that serve large cities.

"Small systems often need technologies that are more simple to operate," Jonathan Pressman, engineer and EPA water researcher, told the AP. The agency offers technical assistance to states and communities, and it recently made $2 billion available to states for contaminants like PFAS.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.