PFAS Team works at national and grassroots levels to reduce PFAS

The Sierra Club PFAS Team works at the national and grassroots levels to reduce uses and relasese of dangerous PFAS chemicals.  We focus on two areas:
  • working with communities on testing for PFAS in surface waters and sludge and 
  • policies and regulations to prevent contamination of lands and waters by PFAS in sludge and biosolids.

PFAS chemicals have contaminated air, water, soil, food, and consumer products all over the world. 

These chemicals are extremely toxic at very small concentrations, entirely man made, do not exist in nature, worse than dioxin and virtually impossible to destroy. They survive conventional waste treatment technologies because they do not break down into harmless compounds.    They have contaminated many drinking water sources and are found in the blood of virtually all Americans.

        PFAS chemicals are literally out of control.

EPA routinely approves PFAS uses under the Toxic Substances Control Act but does not regulate their releases and disposal.  Meanwhile the chemical industry has been enormously effective in promoting PFAS through aggressive lobbying, withholding information, dissemination of misinformation, and active engagement with allies including users of their products.

       The PFAS Team works to prevent production, use, and discharges of PFAS. 

Our Team has expertise in chemistry, hazardous substance control and remediation, environmental health sciences, policy, and organizing.   Our main strategy is to build capacity for and support actions at the state and federal level to reduce use and discharges of PFAS, in partnership with Sierra Club staff.
 

Key Issues We Work On

PFAS found in wastes managed at wastewater treatment plants and solid waste facilities;

PFAS in "biosolids" from wastewater treatment plants used in products for farms and gardens or  discharged to farmlands and recreational lands;

State actions to reduce uses and releases of PFAS;

Local monitoring projects to identify PFAS in surface waters and sewage sludge.