Attorney General Jeff Jackson Fights for Clean Water Protections
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson took action to uphold the establishment of the first nationwide drinking standards for PFAS chemicals. Under these protections, public water systems must test and treat drinking water for these contaminants.
“Every person deserves clean drinking water,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “North Carolinians know all too well how damaging PFAS can be to people’s health and our natural resources. These standards help protect people from these forever chemicals, and I’m fighting to keep them in place.”
PFAS are human-made chemicals used in manufacturing and industrial products that don’t degrade and are highly toxic to people and animals. These toxins were used for decades in airports and fire departments, and they continue to be used in countless consumer products from car seats and strollers to non-stick cookware and food packaging. PFAS exposure has been linked to serious health harms including cancer. Research indicates that at least 2.5 million North Carolinians access drinking water that is contaminated with PFAS at levels that exceed EPA’s standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created a rule under the Safe Drinking Water Act that expands nationwide drinking water protections and sets enforceable standards for six PFAS chemicals, including GenX. Today, Attorney General Jackson and other attorneys general are filing a brief to defend the rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The states argue that the rule improves public health, meets all procedural requirements, and should be upheld.
The Department of Justice is currently investigating the companies responsible for PFAS contamination in North Carolina. The office has filed lawsuits against DuPont and Chemours for PFAS contamination to natural resources and drinking water in the Cape Fear River Basin and its communities, as well as six additional lawsuits against 14 companies that manufacture AFFF, a fire suppressant used by first responders that contains PFAS.
Attorney General Jackson is joined in filing this brief by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the brief is available here.
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