"A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman says he hopes to move bipartisan legislation next week to address concerns over exposures to potentially hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, told reporters on Nov. 15 that he is in talks with the ranking Republican on the panel, Rep. John Shimkus (Ill.), and that negotiations are promising. The move comes amid uncertainty over what PFAS protections might emerge from House-Senate talks toward a single fiscal 2020 Defense Department reauthorization bill, with both chambers pushing different responses to address PFAS.

Some PFAS compounds may harm human health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, with potential effects including developmental harm to fetuses, testicular and kidney cancer, liver tissue damage, thyroid or immune system effects, and changes in cholesterol."

Dean Scott reports for Bloomberg Environment November 15, 2019. [2]