WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) released a statement following a response letter from EPA Administration Scott Pruitt:

My constituents are tired of hearing excuses from Washington.  I am disappointed at Administrator Pruitt’s lackluster response to my inquiry regarding reports that the EPA purposely suppressed a health effects study related to human exposure to PFAS. Claiming he does not have the authority to release the study is unacceptable. Administrator Pruitt and the EPA must do all they can to promote transparency and restore confidence in their agency.  My constituents deserve to know the details of this health study. They deserve to know if exposure to PFOS and PFOA could be even more dangerous than previously thought. They have a right to know what is happening inside their government. I will not stop pressing until this health study is released.
 

Last week, Congressmen Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA) led a bipartisan letter demanding the release of a study on the human health effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that was reportedly suppressed by EPA staff out of concern for negative public relations.  The letter also demanded an explanation for the study’s suppression.

The primary purpose of the research into adverse human health effects associated with PFAS exposure is to determine whether or not PFAS are hazardous substances.  Administrator Pruitt has declared that, by the end of calendar year 2018, the EPA is planning to release a National PFAS Management Plan.  This plan would begin with the characterization of PFAS as a hazardous substance, which would then require the establishment of a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).  The MCL would provide constituents with the full suite of regulatory recourse detailed in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA.  Fitzpatrick has been fighting for the establishment of an MCL since he was first apprised of the potential dangers of PFAS contamination in the water supply.

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