Finally, EPA Aims to Make Drinking Water Safe

Law firm with a brutal history of "forever chemicals" litigation says it's about time.

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES, March 21, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first national drinking water standard for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on Tuesday, and the law firm Levin Papantonio Rafferty (LPR), which has a long history of fighting corporate polluters, says the action is desperately needed and long overdue.

LPR Attorney and Shareholder Wes Bowden issued the following statement in response to EPA's proposal:

"For years, the industry has engaged in a war on science--downplaying the scope of contamination and denying that PFOA and PFOS cause cancer and other disease. The EPA has finally said enough and has proposed regulation which will protect the drinking water of all Americans. These are some of the most hazardous substances known to man. The proposed regulation of 4 ppt (parts per trillion) is the equivalent to a single drop of water in 5 Olympic size swimming pools."

Bowden represents individuals who have developed cancer and other illnesses from PFAS exposure, as well as government and private entities that are remediating PFAS contamination.

Key Takeaways From EPA's Proposed Standard

EPA's proposed standard underscores several key points.

1. PFOA and PFOS are likely carcinogens and there is no safe level of exposure.
On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued drinking water health advisories for PFAS, saying these chemicals are dangerous at any concentration.

2. The proposed standard would enforce a 4 ppt maximum contaminant level for both PFOA and PFOS.
The proposal would regulate 6 chemicals in total. PFOA and PFOS would be regulated at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX chemicals, would not be regulated by a single standard, but rather by a limit for a mix of the chemicals.

3. Water providers will have three years to be in compliance with the new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) once they become effective.

EPA anticipates finalizing the regulation by the end of 2023, according to an agency news release. "If finalized, the proposed regulation will require public water systems to monitor for the specified chemicals. It will also require systems to notify the public and reduce the levels of these PFAS if levels exceed the proposed regulatory standards," states proposal documentation.

About Wes Bowden

Bowden has been involved in multiple mass tort cases involving environmental contamination. In 2017, he served as co-lead counsel in Vigneron v. E.I. DuPont (2:13-cv-00136-EAS-EPD), obtaining a $12.5 million verdict on behalf of a client who suffered from cancer after drinking water contaminated with the chemical PFOA (C8) discharged by DuPont’s Washington Works Teflon manufacturing plant.

In 2016, Bowden worked as part of the trial team (2:13-cv-01103) that secured a $5.6 million verdict on behalf of an Ohio resident who developed cancer after consuming PFOA (C8) discharged by DuPont into the air and drinking water of the surrounding community.

About Levin Papantonio Rafferty

The Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm has been representing injured people across the globe since 1955. The firm has gained national recognition as one of the most successful personal injury firms in the world and has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, as well as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time Magazine, Forbes, and National Law Journal.

LPR attorneys handle lawsuits throughout the country and have earned more than $30 billion in jury verdicts and settlements, litigating against some of the largest corporations in the world.

The law firm's previous environmental litigation includes serving as one of the lead counsel in the national litigation against BP (MDL - 2179), which resulted in a multi-billion dollar settlement; and the Samples v. Conoco, Inc., Agrico Chemical Company, and Escambia Treating Company, Inc. (No. 3:01-CV-149/LAC), in which LPR Represented a class of hundreds of property owners and residents in Pensacola, Florida relating to claims of groundwater contamination attributed to a former fertilizer facility. The case resulted in a $70 million settlement.

For questions about the firm’s legal practice, call 1 (800) 277-1193.

Contact Information: Sara Stephens | sstephens@levinlaw.com | 281-744-6560 or Wes Bowden | wbowden@levinlaw.com |

Sara Stephens
Levin Papantonio Rafferty
+1 281-744-6560
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