Please join Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition for a news conference and rally to protect water quality and health on Thursday, May 12 at noon outside the Alaska State Capitol building in Juneau. We are calling on legislators to pass important bills before the end of session that will protect water quality and communities from PFAS or “forever chemicals.”

At the rally, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition, and the Alaska PFAS Action Coalition will be calling upon legislators to pass Senate Bill 121 and House Bill 171, companion bills that would require greater protections for communities by addressing PFAS contamination and preventing further harm. Speakers include affected community members from Gustavus, Utqiaġvik, and Anchorage, as well as the sponsor of SB 121, Senator Kiehl. 

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of substances linked to adverse health outcomes, including liver and kidney damage, reproductive and developmental harm, immune system impairment, and certain cancers. 

In Alaska, the dispersive use of PFAS-based industrial firefighting foams on military bases and airports has contaminated the drinking water of thousands of Alaskans. PFAS also contaminates groundwater and surface waters, affecting fish, wild game, garden produce, and backyard chickens across the state. Several Alaska lakes are now closed to fishing because of PFAS contamination. Overall, PFAS are highly toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative, thus presenting a threat to aquatic life and public health. 

WHO: Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition
WHAT: News Conference and Rally to Protect Water Quality and Health
WHEN: Noon on Thursday, May 12
WHERE: Alaska State Capitol steps (120 4th Street in Juneau)

For more information, please drop me a line or contact Pamela Miller with ACAT at 907-308-1629.

Sincerely,
Aaron Brakel
Inside Passage Waters Program Manager