What are PFAS?

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manmade chemicals that have been used in many consumer products since the 1940s. Cookware, food packaging, stain repellants, and water repellants are some of the more common examples. Over the years, PFAS have begun to appear in water systems, contaminating the drinking water of communities across the U.S. and in Alabama.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people may be exposed to PFAS through several different means, including:

- drinking water or eating food contaminated with PFAS; 

- using products made or packaged with materials containing PFAS; or 

- working in certain occupations that put employees at a higher risk of exposure, such as a firefighter or in chemical manufacturing.

What are the risks of PFAS exposure?

Due to the thousands of varieties of PFAS, it has made it difficult for scientists to conclusively list all the risks of exposure to the chemicals, however, research has shown that exposure to high levels may lead to adverse health outcomes over time. This can include negative impacts on growth and development, reproduction, thyroid function, the immune system, and the liver.

Though the EPA has not established a regulated limit to determine “safe” levels of PFAS in drinking water, it is widely accepted that consuming PFAS-infected water is one of the most common ways to become exposed. Since PFAS do not break down easily in the body, they can quickly build up and cause problems in later years.

PFAS in Alabama Water Systems

According to an AL.com article from October 2022, the presence of PFAS chemicals was found in 95 out of 114 waterways in Alabama. One of these is the Cahaba River, which provides drinking water to about one-fifth of the state, including the Birmingham community.

In response to the Moody landfill fire that has been burning since November 2022, Cahaba Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization, has been collecting water samples in the Cahaba River to keep an accurate record of various chemical levels. On February 15, 2023, the group posted their latest results to their Facebook page, sharing that an alarming concentration of 55 different PFAS compounds had been detected. According to their findings, the EPA has generally issued health advisory warnings for concentrations much lower than what Cahaba Riverkeeper’s showed.

Also in February, the City of Decatur and Morgan County received approximately $98.4 million from 3M, a nationwide corporation with a plant located in Decatur. PFAS had been used in manufacturing at the local plant for several decades, and after a running lawsuit, the parties eventually came to this settlement agreement. This money will be allocated to several different projects, including $9.2 million to go toward reimbursement for the costs of PFAS cleanup.

In addition to the settlement amount, 3M also agreed to pay to investigate the contamination of the groundwater at the Morgan County Regional Landfill located near Decatur.

EPA awards Alabama $52.6 million

Around the time of the settlement between Decatur and 3M, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) announced that they had received $52.6 million from the EPA that was to specifically go toward eliminating PFAS and other chemicals from the water systems. This award will now be added to the $463 million that ADEM provided in 2022 that was also allocated for correcting drinking water and wastewater systems. ADEM will be responsible for distributing the funds of both awards to improve drinking water and sewer systems across the state.

Snable Stevenson & Silva

Snable Stevenson & Silva hopes to bring awareness to the on-going battle against PFAS levels in Alabama's water systems, as well as represent anyone who believes they may have encountered and been harmed by PFAS contamination.