February 14, 2023

Wyden, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Prioritize Efforts to Combat PFAS Contamination

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Senate colleagues to urge the Biden administration to include funding in the upcoming budget request to more comprehensively address PFAS chemicals contamination in Oregon and nationwide.

“The prevalence of PFAS combined with the adverse health impacts associated with exposure—including developmental effects, changes in liver, immune and thyroid function and increased risk of some cancers—requires a comprehensive approach. Specifically, we ask that your budget request include dedicated funding to close gaps in data and research to better inform responses and drive innovation,” Wyden and colleagues wrote in a letter to President Biden.  

PFAS chemicals have emerged as widespread contaminants affecting thousands of communities across the country, causing significant concern for those drinking contaminated water or facing significant exposures through their work or military service. These chemicals, which persist in the environment and accumulate over time, have been used for decades in a wide variety of consumer products, various industrial applications, firefighting foam and the personal protective equipment firefighters wear on the job, presenting numerous pathways of exposure.

“We urge prioritization of regulatory work necessary to enhance protections for public health and the environment. Finally, we encourage robust funding to support ongoing testing and cleanup of existing contamination nationwide,” the senators continued in their letter.

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Alongside Wyden, the letter was joined by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Ben Cardin, D-Md., Tom Carper, D-Del., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

The text of the letter is here.