DELAWARE - On Wednesday the Delaware State Senate took what they hope will be the next step towards protecting people from "forever chemicals" like PFAS. Senate Bill 72 has now passed through the Senate and has been assigned to the Health and Human Development Committee in the House.
If SB 72 ultimately moves forward and becomes law, it will force the Division of Public Health to create a website where people can check the PFAS levels in various parts of the state. Additionally, the bill would mandate that Division of Public Health notify public water utilities when PFAS levels proved dangerous and then those companies would be need to inform their customers.
Recent History
PFAS chemicals have been found in several places across theย first state, and if you expand the scope to Maryland, Perdue AgriBusinessย has been facingย lawsuits over elevated levels of PFAS chemicals near its Salisbury facility.
The Danger of PFAS Chemicals
According to theย Environmental Protection Agencyย PFAS can be found in everything from drinking water, soil, food, fire extinguishing foam, packaging and more. Some of the effects of these chemicals have been well documented according to the EPA, impacting everything from fertility to developmental delays in children, increased cancer risks, hormone imbalance, even obesity. Other effects are harder to pin down but are being investigated.ย
The moniker "forever chemicals" has been used for PFAS because they do not naturally break down in the environment.
What Happens Next
Now that SB 72 has made it through the State Senate it now moves to the House, if the bipartisan legislation gets the green light there it will ultimately end up on the Governors desk. The law would go into effect upon signing.