Tell Our Delaware Legislators to Support Clean Water
PFAS Safe Drinking Water Standard Senate Bill 72 is up for vote by House Committee
Please take a few minutes to send an email to the Delaware House Health & Human Development Committee Chair, Vice Chair, and members to tell them you want safe drinking water by requiring regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as “Forever Chemicals”.
Senate Bill 72 requires PFAS monitoring and public reporting for public water systems starting in January 2026 and enforcement of maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for several PFAS compounds by 2029, which would require their removal from public drinking water. The MCLs proposed are: PFOA: 4.0 PPT; PFOS: 4.0 PPT; PFHxS: 10 PPT; PFNA: 10 PPT; HFPO-DA (aka GenX): 10 PPT and for mixtures containing two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, or PFBS, a Hazard Index MCL of 1. These are the same as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) MCLs, adopted last year. If the federal standards are made stricter, the proposed state MCLs would also be lowered to match.
Senate Bill 72 passed the Senate on May 13 and is now before the House Committee. We need to tell the Committee members to support the Bill’s passage so this much-needed regulation can finally be adopted.
You can use our template with the sample email or fill in your own message, then click and it will be sent directly to the Committee members:
Suggested Talking Points:
I support the adoption of this bill and advocate for its adoption for the sake of my and my family’s health and the protection of our Delaware communities and environment.
Protection of our health is necessary. It is important for the protection of our health and the environment that the State of Delaware regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by adopting safe drinking water standards, also known as maximum contaminant levels (MCL), for the most commonly found of these toxic substances in our drinking water.
Our public drinking water must be safe and we need to know what’s in it. This regulation will require monitoring for these compounds, reporting to water users if drinking water contains PFAS concentrations that exceed the MCLs, and by 2029 the removal of PFAS to these standards. The state will also create a website where Delaware residents can find out the level of certain PFAS in public drinking water systems.
PFAS are linked to serious disease and health conditions. The bill states “There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that PFAS, which are a class of chemicals that do not break down naturally, are linked to certain cancers, liver problems, thyroid issues, low birth weights and birth defects, decreased immunity, and other serious health issues. Children may be particularly susceptible to negative health outcomes from PFAS exposure, with some research linking high PFAS levels in children to developmental problems and reduced effectiveness of vaccines.”
Effective state action is essential. The bill will enforce the MCLs that years of research by scientists and federal and state governments have concluded are required to protect people from exposure that could increase the risk of developing adverse health effects linked to PFAS. The technical processes to accurately monitor for PFAS and treat drinking water to safe levels are well developed and available.
Thank you for taking action to provide us with safe drinking water.