WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The US Environmental Protection Agency for the first time set limits on PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in drinking water.
The EPA made the announcement Wednesday, which requires public water sources to test for and follow limits on six harmful chemicals.
Forever chemicals were found in Adam Nordell’s Unity farm and body. While continuing a career in agriculture, he successfully lobbied for Maine to create its own PFAS standards.
"This is a huge win for public health. It's a huge win for our ability to protect the health of our kids," Nordell said in a Thursday interview with NEWS CENTER Maine.
"Highly impacted communities who have been suffering from PFAS exposure for decades have been advocating and agitating to get the federal government to respond, and to protect people’s drinking water," he continued. "Clean and healthy drinking water is a basic human right."
Nordell does campaign work for the nonprofit Defend our Health. Sarah Woodbury, the organization's VP of programs and policy, also lauded the new policy and pointed out that it includes $1 billion in federal grants for Americans who get their drinking water from residential wells.
"In the state of Maine, where over 50 percent of our population gets their drinking water from residential wells, to have this funding available for folks to test and remediate for PFAS in their drinking water is just amazing," Woodbury said.
Portland Water District serves the taps of 210,000 Mainers from pristine Sebago Lake, and already began testing for PFAS in recent years, reporting no measurable amounts of PFAS, regulatory advisor Mike Koza said. He expected the utility would have have no issue following the new rules.
"This new, finalized regulation by the EPA came as no surprise to us," Koza said. "We certainly expect that we'll be below the levels set by the rule."
One thing the EPA doesn't cover in this move—farmers. Nordell said that's next on his to-do list.