Environmental justice demands that all communities regardless of race, income, or geographic location have an equal access to clean air, water, and land. However, in the United States, the crisis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination has immensely revealed the uneven distribution of environmental protection.
A recent study conducted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that communities of color are significantly more likely to be exposed to PFAS through contaminated drinking water. The researchers analyzed more than 44,000 water samples from community systems across 18 states and concluded that areas with higher percentages of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents had significantly higher PFAS levels in their water supplies.
In 2023, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposed setting maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for six PFAS compounds, including PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion. Although this would represent the first national standard for PFAS, it fails to fully address the breadth of contamination.
According to a comprehensive review published in the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, current legal frameworks often leave affected communities without meaningful recourse. The regulatory system is fragmented and slow-moving, and litigation against PFAS manufacturers like 3M and DuPont has yielded only partial victories.