Action Alerts

Remove forever chemicals from our daily lives

What's At Stake

PFAS are toxic chemicals that can persist in human bodies and in the environment for decades, which is why it is so important to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to classify them as hazardous. Enacted by Congress in 1980, the Superfund law was designed to clean up communities polluted by the kind of toxic contamination that PFAS have created — but PFAS are not currently covered by the law. Send a letter to the EPA today to show your support for adding PFAS to the Superfund list, and advocate for the cleanup of this public health crisis!

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“PFAS,” which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of what are known as “forever chemicals” that are nondegradable, accumulate in human bodies and the environment, and are extremely toxic, even at miniscule levels. PFAS can be found in everyday products like nonstick pans, waterproof jackets, mascara, and hairspray. In addition, they’ve been detected in the drinking water supplies in more than 1,000 communities nationwide, including major cities like New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago.

The EPA proposed to designate the two most notorious PFAS — PFOA and PFOS — as hazardous substances under the Superfund law last year. This year, they are considering designating additional PFAS as hazardous substances in future rulemaking processes. The designation of PFAS as hazardous substances is a critical step in holding polluters accountable for contaminating communities.

PFAS were created in the 1940s and used in products like Teflon and firefighting foam. Companies like 3M and Dupont manufactured and dumped PFOA and PFOS for much of the 20th century — despite knowing these chemicals were harmful — resulting in widespread drinking water contamination. 3M recently announced that they will stop making PFAS by the end of 2025, but this doesn’t reverse the damage done throughout the decades. For decades, the military has also polluted communities via PFAS-containing firefighting foam used extensively during training exercises. Today, PFOA and PFOS have been largely phased out of production in the United States due to links to cancers and birth defects — but they are still present in the environment and in products that are being imported into the U.S. Moreover, other PFAS continue to be produced in massive quantities and released to the air, water and soil. These newer PFAS include “precursors” that break down into PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS. Meanwhile, more than 95% of the U.S. population has PFAS in their bodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Enough is enough. Forever chemicals can’t be allowed to contaminate our bodies and the environment. Take action with Earthjustice today to tell the EPA to clean up these toxic chemicals from our daily lives!

Drinking water is one of the most common routes of exposure to PFAS. PFAS have polluted the tap water of at least 16 million people in 33 states and Puerto Rico, as well as groundwater in at least 38 states.
Drinking water is one of the most common routes of exposure to PFAS. PFAS have polluted the tap water of at least 16 million people in 33 states and Puerto Rico, as well as groundwater in at least 38 states. (Yipeng Ge / Getty Images)

Delivery to Michael Regan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

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Your Actions Matter

Your messages make a difference, even if we have leaders who don't want to listen. Here's why.

You level the playing field.

Elected officials pay attention when they see that we are paying attention. Read more.

They may be hearing from industry lobbyists left and right, but hearing the stories of their constituents — that’s your power.

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Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. When you contact your elected official, you’re putting a face and a name on an issue.

Whether or not you voted for them, they work for you, for the duration of their term.

Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. (Find your local, state, and federal elected officials.)

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If a federal agency finalizes a harmful action, the record of public comments provides a basis for bringing them into court. Read more.

Throughout each of the public comment periods we alert you to, Earthjustice’s attorneys are researching and writing in-depth, technical comments to submit — detailing how the regulation could and should be stronger to protect the environment, our communities, and our planet.

We need you to join us — your specific experiences, knowledge, and voice are crucial to add to the Administrative Record through the comment periods.

Lawsuits we file that challenge weak or harmful federal regulations rely on what was submitted during the comment period. The court can only look at documents that are in the Administrative Record — including the public comments — to decide if the agency did something improper.

Your actions aid our litigation. Taking action and submitting comments during a comment period is substantively important.

It’s the law.

Federal agencies must pause what they’re doing and ask for — and consider — your comment. Read more.

Many of us may have never heard of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), but laws like these require our government to ask the public to weigh in before agencies adopt or change regulations.

Regulations essentially describe how federal agencies will carry out laws — including decisions that could undermine science, or weaken safeguards on public health.

Public comments are collected at various points throughout the federal government’s rulemaking process, including when a regulation is proposed and finalized. (Learn about the rulemaking process.) These comments become part of the official, legal public record — the “Administrative Record.”

When the public responds with a huge outpouring of support for environmental protections, these individual messages collectively undercut politicians' attempts to claim otherwise.

What this means is each of us can take a role in shaping the rules our government creates — and ensuring those rules are fair and effective.