PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the creation of a new panel to reduce and clean up PFAS, the "forever chemicals" that have caused widespread contamination of water sources nationwide. The EPA Council PFAS, or ECP, plans to issue its initial recommendations within 100 days.
The EPA says the council will develop strategies to clean up PFAS-contaminated sites across the country and propose any new modifications and priorities.
Scott Faber, an activist with Environmental Working Group (EWG), asks: "Why wait?"
"It's certainly great that the EPA is continuing to make PFAS a priority," Faber said, "but we shouldn't wait to take quick action to clean up places like Willow Grove and Horsham."
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He says we all know what needs to be done.
"We all know that we need to clean up legacy PFAS pollution, especially at places like Horsham and Willow Grove. We all know that we need to set a drinking water standard for PFAS that water utilities have to meet," he said.
"We don't need 100 days to figure that out. It's time for EPA to act."
Faber says there is a short list of things the EPA needs to do to move cleanup along.
"At the top of that list is designating PFOA and PFOS and other PFAS as hazardous substances under our federal cleanup laws. That will kickstart the cleanup process and require [the Department of Defense] to make the resources available to finally clean up contamination at places like Horsham and Willow Grove."
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He says Congress also needs to tell the DOD to take responsibility for using the firefighting foam that spread PFAS across the country, and to force the department to set a timeline to finish the PFAS cleanup.
"We need Congress to give DOD clear marching orders as well, and that includes real deadlines for finally cleaning up a mess that the DOD has been turning its back on for decades," he said.
EWG is also calling on Congress to push the Food and Drug Administration to remove PFAS from food packaging, cosmetics, cleaners, carpets and upholstered furniture.
But Faber says they will be patient.
"The EPA has waited 20 years to do what should have happened 20 years ago. After waiting 20 years, the people in Willow Grove can wait another 100 days."