New York State is rolling out new resources to provide communities with assistance and education to combat polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination, also referred to as "forever chemicals" because of how long they last.
According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, Perfluorooctane Sulfonic (PFOS) Acid is extremely prevalent in the environment statewide, which is used in products from cookware to carpets but also can lead to pregnancy complications.
New York isn't the only state in the region with these issues, said Andrew Guglielmi, DEC director of Environmental Remediation. Massachusetts and Vermont have similar contamination.
“That's beneficial to us, because that we're not an outlier, although it also shows that these levels are present throughout the Northeast," he said. "All of our divisions throughout the department are trying to identify those specific sources and remove them from the environment when we can, remove them from commerce and retail products as well.”
According to the DEC, 97% of surface soil was found to contain these PFOS chemicals, out of thousands taken from across the state.
One of the areas where DEC is increasing emphasis is clothing materials, as legislation is being drafted to limit PFAS levels in apparel, DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said.
"One of those approaches is really preventing PFAS from being put into consumer products in the first place," she said. "So New York has established a new law restricting PFAS and apparel and outdoor apparel for several wet conditions, and those restrictions will be phased in the next several years."
