Going from this to "we can't trust regulators" is quite a jump. The EPA and other regulators are quickly tightening regulations, but how do we currently filter PFAS up the food chain?
If anything, distrust should be placed in the chemical companies as "the chemical industry knew about the dangers of PFAS and failed to let the public, regulators, and even their own employees know the risks." [0].
Tap water is safer and held to a higher standard than bottled water. The EPA requires tap water to be tested multiple times a day and the information is publicly available. Is bottled water held to a similarly high standard?
Would you trust someone that didn't tell you you were drinking poison from 40+ years? Because that is exactly what happened.
1970's - The EPA knew since 1970s[1], and possibly even earlier, of the evils of the stuff that was getting dumped into the open.
1983 - The EPA learned of the Oakdale Dump (supefund site) and they still took no action [2] on the chemicals itself.
2001 - It was left to hero Billot, to literally put a target on its back by whistleblowing on the whole industry after the EPA, local county regulators, had all failed to blow this issue open.
2016 - First year of advisory from EPA [3]
That's approximately 46 years for EPA to release regulatory advise on this carcinogen.
1981 - "Two years after DuPont learned of a famous monkey study in 1979, 3M shared the results of another study (with Dupont) it had done, this one on pregnant rats, whose unborn pups were more likely to have eye defects after they were exposed to C8. The EPA was also informed of the results." [4]
If anything, distrust should be placed in the chemical companies as "the chemical industry knew about the dangers of PFAS and failed to let the public, regulators, and even their own employees know the risks." [0].
Tap water is safer and held to a higher standard than bottled water. The EPA requires tap water to be tested multiple times a day and the information is publicly available. Is bottled water held to a similarly high standard?
0: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/05/425451/makers-pfas-forever...