MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 14, 2021
As late as 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety threshold for one kind of “forever chemical” was 400 parts per trillion. The next year it was lowered to 70 parts per trillion. Since then, some states, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, have set their standards at 20 parts per trillion for six types of forever chemicals, with others, like New Jersey, going even lower. Meanwhile, the latest research indicates that may not be low enough. Clearly, the effort to protect people, particularly young children, from the harmful substances has some catching up to do. As Maine lawmakers review a series of bills on the subject, they should keep that in mind – and avoid setting limits that won’t protect Mainers.