Environmental justice is often depicted as the fight against inequality in the sphere of race, income, etc., in terms of how the environment is constructed, implemented, developed, etc. Environmental justice is often paired with PFAS, in what communities are more inclined to exposure, how the government handles it, and the lack of real effort to lessen the use of PFAS, not just for certain communities but as a whole for every living organism.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a group of chemicals that are known for their inability to 'die,' hence their nickname "forever chemicals". PFAS are typically used in our everyday objects like plastic cups or menstrual products because of their stain and water-resistant properties. Some of the bigger, more professional uses of PFAS, and supporters of PFAS in our ecosystems, are airports, military training sites, and chrome plating facilities.
One of the biggest victims of PFAS is communities of color. A majority of this exposure comes from unsafe water, which has extremely harmful levels of PFAS, so it leaves these communities to either explore other, farther away or expensive, options of clean water or ingest PFAS water, which has an abundance of chemicals. What comes as a result of the latter is exposure to health risks and danger, including diabetes, cancer, and even death. The fact of the matter is that it's Latinos and Black residents who are more exposed to PFAS, as a direct result of the lack of environmental justice for them.
In March 2023, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) proposed a national drinking water regulation for six PFAS, which was finalized in 2024. The regulation establishes maximum containment levels for two PFAS compounds (4 parts per trillion) and limits for the other four. The end goal is to reduce PFAS exposure, although with the still high maximum levels, we enter a scenario where over 25% of Americans can still be exposed to PFAS.
Earthjustice and EPA have worked together in various ways, with one of the biggest instances being the successful adoption of regulations that added hundreds of PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory, which is an online database of chemical releases and disposal. In another instance, the two then eliminated reporting loopholes that would let polluters avoid disclosing their PFAS emissions.