WARRENTON, Va., April 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Less Cancer, a nonprofit founded in 2004 as Next Generation Choices Foundation, applauds the first-ever national, legally-enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’

Less Cancer Board Member Rob Billot, author of the book Exposure which is the subject of the Mark Ruffalo movie Dark Waters, and Less Cancer Founder Bill Couzens applaud the first-ever national, legally-enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS.

Less Cancer Board Member Rob Billot, author of the book Exposure which is the subject of the Mark Ruffalo movie Dark Waters, and Less Cancer Founder Bill Couzens applaud the first-ever national, legally-enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS.

Less Cancer Founder and President Bill Couzens said, “Efforts to irradicate forever chemicals associated with cancer incidence has been a priority since our organization’s founding.”

Less Cancer board member Rob Bilott, author of the book Exposure which is subject of the Mark Ruffalo movie Dark Waters, said at a recent press conference, “This is a huge step forward for public health protection in this country. Today’s action by EPA is the culmination of decades of work to raise awareness of the global threat to human health and the environment presented by these man-made ‘forever chemicals.’

“Today we can celebrate that the scientific facts and truth about the dangers posed by these toxins have finally prevailed over the decades of corporate cover-ups and misinformation campaigns designed to mislead and to delay action to protect public health,” Bilott continued. “I first alerted US EPA and our federal government to the presence of PFAS in US drinking water supplies and asked that immediate steps to address the problem in a letter dated March 6, 2001 – more than 23 years ago. It should never have taken this long to address such serious threats to public health and our environment. But the PFAS story has helped highlight the critical importance of making sure that complete scientific information is promptly disclosed and made available to our regulatory authorities, lawmakers, and the scientific community.”

Less Cancer is grateful for the leadership of its Board member Rob Bilott.

“I am grateful to Rob as I reflect on the decades of hard work done by so many to regulate cancer causing chemicals. Thanks for leading this charge,” said Tricia Petzold, MD, who serves as Less Cancer’s Chairwoman.

Less Cancer has supported and collaborated the many efforts in addressing the PFAS issue. The subject was early content and continues to be for the National Cancer Prevention Workshop, produced and founded by Less Cancer, National Cancer Prevention Day as well as the United States Congressional Bipartisan, Cancer Prevention Caucus.

Former New Hampshire legislator and scientist Mindi Messmer added, “Although long overdue, the EPA’s enforcement actions on six PFAS chemicals represent a crucial step forward in protecting public health and preventing cancer for future generations.”