State Must Take Action Against “the Greatest Chemical Threat of the 21st Century.”
Utah doctors call on State and Federal Agencies to protect Utahns from PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in Pesticides
🎥 Watch the Press Conference:
A few months ago, the CDC made an unprecedented national recommendation that physicians consider testing their patients’ blood for PFAS or “forever” chemicals. That they have never made any such recommendation for any other toxic chemicals speaks volumes about their unprecedented danger.
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, one of the largest civic organizations of health care professionals in the Western US, are calling on the state to take meaningful action to protect Utah residents, especially women, children and pregnant mothers from these chemicals.
What: Presentation about PFAS contamination and public health
Where: Presentation Room at the Utah State Capitol
When: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 – 10:30 AM
PFAS or “forever chemicals” are now being recognized by scientists and governments worldwide as being an extreme threat to public health. They have been variously described by experts as “the greatest chemical threat of the 21st century, and constituting a “planetary boundary threat,” meaning that, like the climate crisis, ocean acidification, and depletion of stratospheric ozone, it represents a threat to the entire planet’s ability to provide a safe environment for human civilization and the biological systems needed to sustain it.
With its recent, extremely strict national drinking water standard, EPA has established that for all practical purposed there is no safe level of exposure to these chemicals, especially for infants, children, and pregnant and nursing mothers. And even newer research indicates their degradation products may constitute and even greater hazard. One of the most important ongoing sources of exposure to these chemicals is pesticides. That should force a dramatic shift in the risk/benefit considerations regarding large scale use of pesticides. As one former EPA scientist said, , “If the intent was to spread PFAS contamination across the globe there would be few more effective methods than lacing pesticides with PFAS.”
“As biologic poisons, pesticides have always controversial, causing harm far beyond their intended targets. Every year has seen a growing body of research demonstrating their hazard to human health. But recent evidence has verified that many pesticides are also forever chemicals, that moves their hazard into an entirely new and dangerous category,” said Dr. Brian Moench, President of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE). “Because of the unique persistence of these chemicals, every month we delay taking action, more harm, much of it irreversible, is being done to Utah residents.”
Because of this extreme health hazard, UPHE is sending a letter signed by over 100 physicians and other healthcare professionals to all state and local government agencies, calling on the state of Utah to follow the examples of Maine and Minnesota, and require testing of all herbicides and insecticides used or sold in the state for PFAS compounds and prohibit the distribution or use of any pesticides that are either contaminated with these chemicals, or contain any compounds in their formula that fall under the PFAS category. Utah residents deserve as much protection from these hazardous chemicals as is being planned in other states.
More information on PFAS here.
Our letter, signed by over 100 medical professionals and concerned residents.