Patterns of Disproportionate PFAS Exposure
Analysis of PFAS contamination locations — military bases, industrial facilities, airports, and PFAS manufacturing sites — reveals significant environmental justice (EJ) concerns. Communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately located near these PFAS sources, and research confirms that residential PFAS contamination rates are higher in ZIP codes with higher proportions of non-white residents and lower median incomes.
Subsistence fishing communities — which include many Indigenous populations and recent immigrant communities — face amplified PFAS exposure through fish consumption. Industrial agricultural workers who apply or work near biosolids-amended fields face occupational PFAS exposure that disproportionately affects Latino and other minority workforces.
EPA Environmental Justice Integration in PFAS Policy
EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap explicitly integrates environmental justice considerations, committing to prioritize enforcement, remediation, and technical assistance in communities with the highest PFAS burden. The Justice40 initiative — which directs 40% of clean energy and environmental investment benefits to disadvantaged communities — applies to PFAS infrastructure investments funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
EPA’s Community Involvement program has developed specific outreach tools for PFAS-affected EJ communities, including multilingual fact sheets, community health assessments, and technical assistance programs that provide expert support to communities lacking the resources to navigate complex PFAS regulatory processes independently.
Advocacy and Community Power
Environmental justice organizations in PFAS-affected communities have been critical drivers of regulatory action. Community advocacy in Parkersburg, West Virginia; Hoosick Falls, New York; Lumberton, North Carolina; and other communities preceded and accelerated federal and state regulatory responses. The expertise and persistence of community advocates — many of whom are not professionally trained scientists or lawyers — have challenged corporate and regulatory narratives about PFAS safety.
Strengthening community capacity for PFAS advocacy includes funding for community science programs, accessible PFAS testing for residents, legal aid for community organizations pursuing accountability, and ensuring that EJ communities are represented in regulatory rulemaking processes where PFAS standards are set.