Dingell, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to PFAS Blood Testing for Seniors

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, today introduced legislation to enable Medicare beneficiaries to get blood tested for toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals at no cost.

"PFAS are an urgent public health threat, and we need to ensure everyone, especially seniors, have the resources to keep themselves safe," Dingell said. "We know that virtually all Americans have at least some PFAS in our bodies. Being able to test for PFAS in the blood can be critical in assessing risk and making informed health care decisions, especially for seniors who are more vulnerable to many of the health conditions connected to PFAS contamination. This care should be easy, accessible, and cost-free."

"Too many seniors have been exposed to PFAS without ever getting the chance to ask the most basic question: was I affected?" said Fitzpatrick. "This bipartisan bill delivers a straightforward solution-requiring Medicare to cover PFAS blood testing at no cost. It gives older Americans the answers they've been denied, strengthens the data guiding cleanup efforts, and puts us one step closer to real accountability. We can't fix what we don't measure, and ensuring access to testing is where a serious federal response begins."

Scientific studies have linked PFAS chemicals to a variety of health hazards, including various cancers, increases in cholesterol levels, reproductive problems, as well as low birth weight and weakened childhood immunity. People are at higher risk for these health impacts when repeatedly exposed to PFAS, given that they bioaccumulate and do not degrade in the environment.

Across the country, PFAS contamination has left a devastating legacy of poisoned drinking water, rising health risks, and broken public trust-often without families even knowing they had been exposed. Thousands of communities continue to grapple with the long-term consequences of decades of unregulated chemical use.

Dingell has long led the fight against PFAS as the sponsor of the PFAS Action Act, which includes establishing a strong national drinking water standard. Additionally, Dingell has introduced the No PFAS in Cosmetics Act and PFAS Alternatives Act. The designation of PFOS and PFOA - two of the most widely used and notoriously harmful PFAS substances - as hazardous substances by the EPA under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), is a key pillar of Dingell's bipartisan PFAS Action Act.