PFAS Industry Spent More Than $110 Million on Lobbying Since 2019

Weak regulations in the U.S. have allowed multi-billion dollar chemical corporations to conceal the dangers of toxic compounds called PFAS, often called ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not break down in the environment and some accumulate in the food chain — and humans.

A report, “PFAS and the Chemistry of Concealment,” from the national advocacy organization Food & Water Watch details more than $110 million spent on lobbying by the chemical industry from 2019-2022 on scores of bills introduced in Congress, including many to address the crisis of PFAS contamination throughout the country. 

PFAS are used as fire retardants and repellents; in consumer products, such as furniture, take-out containers, and non-stick cookware; and have many other applications. Human exposure to PFAS is associated with cancer, birth defects, developmental damage to infants, and impaired functioning of the liver, kidneys, and immune system.

An estimated 200 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with PFAS, and these forever chemicals have also been found in grocery store meats, milk, seafood, and bottled water, as well as in wild fish and game.

Studies have also found PFAS in the bloodstream of 99% of Americans.

As the dangers of forever chemicals became public, legislative efforts to regulate PFAS and fund remediation grew, and so too did lobbying by the chemical industry. 

Congress introduced more than 60 bills related to PFAS during the 116th Congress (2019 to 2020), and over 70 during the 117th Congress (2021 to 2022). Just four bills became law, along with the four annual National Defense Authorization Acts that included PFAS amendments. 

None of these measures address the underlying responsibility of the industry or provide close to sufficient funding.

PFAS producers are fighting tooth and nail to keep these harmful chemicals largely unregulated in a political landscape that runs on money and in which bribery is virtually legal.

Lisa McCormick, a New Jersey environmentalist, outlined a comprehensive set of recommendations that include designating PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Superfund program, a ban on all non-essential uses, and dedicated federal funding for water and waste infrastructure.

McCormick emphasized the need for a broad and inclusive definition of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) to be established by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

She also urged agencies to develop and implement nationwide detection, testing, and monitoring methods, including air testing methods for industrial settings and health monitoring for affected service members and communities near contamination sites.

McCormick noted that Representative Andy Kim proposed a bill requiring the Department of Defense to transition to the use of firefighting foam that does not contain harmful PFAS chemicals, but it died in committee and was never reintroduced.

The Investor Initiative on Hazardous Chemicals (IIHC), which represents over $10 trillion in assets under management or advice, wrote to the CEOs of the world’s 50 largest stock-listed chemical companies in November warning that PFAS chemicals are ‘the new asbestos’ for the chemical sector and firms should follow 3M’s lead and quit production.