Bill would shield Georgia manufacturers from "forever chemicals" lawsuits
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Environmental advocates are urging Georgia lawmakers to reject a bill that would shield companies from lawsuits over the use of "forever chemicals" in everyday products.
Why it matters: Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are used to make stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, nonstick cookware, medical devices and more. True to their name, they build up in drinking water, wells and waterways.
- Unless you're a hermit who's lived your whole life in a cave, you and everyone you know likely has PFAS in your systems.
- According to the CDC, nearly all people have forever chemicals in their blood, though the levels of some are "declining with reduced production and use."
Threat level: Though its risks are not fully understood, research has linked PFAS exposure with numerous health issues, including some cancers, according to the CDC.
Zoom in: Sponsored by state Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), House Bill 211 would grant immunity from legal claims to manufacturers, retailers and waste handlers that deal with PFAS.
- Companies should not bear responsibility for using chemicals that manufacturers claimed were safe, said Carpenter, who represents the so-called Carpet Capital of the World.
- The companies that make the chemicals should be the focus of litigation, Carpenter said, according to Atlanta News First.
State of play: Carpet manufacturers have used PFAS dating back to the industry's post-World War II boom.
- In recent years, northwest Georgia counties have sued carpet and chemical companies to clean up the chemicals, which require expensive filtering technology upgrades.
- Rome plans to break ground this year on a $200 million reverse osmosis system to filter out PFAS and other pollutants.
The other side: Opponents dismissed the argument that manufacturers were unaware of PFAS' dangers. Decades of research has focused on forever chemicals; in 2005, an EPA panel named them a "likely" human carcinogen.
What they're saying: "If [companies] know they're not going to be held liable, then there's no reason for them to stop using [forever chemicals]," April Lipscomb, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said at a Tuesday hearing on the legislation.
- "And it's going to take all of us working together to try to figure out how to solve this problem, how to get these chemicals out of our drinking water, out of our river systems and out of our cells."
What's next: Thursday is Crossover Day at the Georgia Capitol, meaning legislation must pass one of the chambers to "stay alive" for the remainder of the 40-day session.