176 public water systems in Massachusetts have exceeded the legal state limit for PFAS.

MASSACHUSETTS HAS A problem with toxic PFAS chemicals, and I should know. When I was the town administrator of Easton in 2019, our community of 25,000 people was one of the first in the state to learn that our drinking water was contaminated with PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”, exceeding what is now the state legal limit of 20 parts per trillion.

Today, 176 public water systems in 99 cities and towns across the Commonwealth have exceeded the state’s legal limit for PFAS. As a result, local authorities are adding additional water filtration systems, closing contaminated wells, or providing bottled water to people, with the cost often paid by residents through their water rates, not by the companies whose products contaminated the water. If we don’t act soon, this will keep happening and local water districts will have to go to ever greater and costlier lengths to prevent PFAS from contaminating our drinking water.

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of chemicals used in many consumer products, such as non-stick cookware, personal care products, stain- and water-resistant clothing, fabrics, sprays, and some firefighting foams. PFAS are toxic to human health even at very low levels of exposure, increasing the risk of developing cancers, immunosuppression, liver disease, developmental and reproductive harm, and more. They are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they never fully break down. PFAS are bio-accumulative, which means they build up in our bodies, drinking water, and wildlife.

How does PFAS end up in our water?

PFAS are discharged directly into our waterways when companies use them to make products, or as part of their industrial processes. And PFAS are released into our groundwater when products that contain them are discarded and break down in landfills. We also use products without knowing that they are made using PFAS, and some of those items, like food wrappers and personal care products, can put our families’ health at risk through direct contact and can reach our waterways when washed or flushed down our drains.

Massachusetts took decisive action earlier this decade when the Department of Environmental Protection set legal limits on PFAS in drinking water. Cities, towns, and water districts have responded and spent hundreds of millions in public funds to mitigate the risks of PFAS. Yet today, it is still legal to manufacture and sell products made with or containing PFAS throughout the Commonwealth that put our drinking water at risk. Unless we act, residents are not just exposed to the health risks of PFAS, they also shoulder the cost of cleaning them up.

The good news is that we know how to tackle the problem. I was a member of the PFAS Interagency Task Force, established by the Legislature in 2020 and co-chaired by state Rep. Kate Hogan and state Sen. Julian Cyr, working alongside 17 other state and local leaders. We completed an extensive analysis of PFAS in Massachusetts, culminating in a report in 2022 that concluded that “the extent of PFAS contamination is vast and the time to act is now.”

Our recommendations were included in a bill filed by Rep. Hogan and Sen. Cyr, “An Act to Protect Massachusetts Public Health from PFAS,”(S3034/H4870). This bill has been debated and modified in the Legislature over the course of the last four years. It is co-sponsored by a bipartisan majority of 109 state lawmakers, and supported by a broad coalition of public health, consumer, municipal, environmental, and community organizations, along with academics, scientists, and firefighters.

A key part of the PFAS bill is the PFAS Remediation Fund, which will assist municipalities and well owners in funding the treatment of drinking water. The legislation proposes capitalizing the fund in part with proceeds from current state litigation against manufacturers of PFAS and PFAS-containing firefighting foam.

Every New England state except Massachusetts has banned PFAS in food packaging, firefighting foam, carpets/rugs, clothing, fabric sprays, and personal care products. Most have also banned PFAS in children’s products, cookware, and furniture. That’s the approach we need to solve the problem and protect our health. But until we follow our New England neighbors and phase out the use of PFAS, any efforts we make are like mopping up water from an overflowing bathtub, rather than turning off the tap.

The Legislature can help — but it must act before July 31 to pass these commonsense reforms. If not, our water and health will continue to be threatened.

The science is clear. The problem is growing. Inaction is not an option.

Connor Read is the town administrator in Westwood and formerly served as town administrator in Easton.