MINNEAPOLIS — EPA Administrator Michael Regan last month made one of his agency's strongest statements to date about the danger of "forever chemicals." New restrictions on those pollutants in drinking water would "prevent thousands of deaths and prevent tens of thousands of serious PFAS-related illnesses," Regan said.
Scientists studying the health effects of the chemicals say that while they can't prove any one case of illness is tied to them, the statement isn't an exaggeration. A growing body of scientific research has confirmed early suspicions that PFAS are linked to some cancers, and added new connections between the chemicals and developmental problems.
Jamie DeWitt, an immunotoxicologist at East Carolina University, leads a lab dedicated to discovering how PFAS damage the immune system. She said the link may seem indirect, but it's valid: If increased exposure to PFAS raises the risk of chronic diseases that can lead to death, then reducing the exposure reduces that risk of death.
