PFAS Risk Communications | AAAS EPI Center
Developing Key Messages Key messages should inform, educate, and engage key audiences. They should give spokespeople, leaders, and other parties who speak on behalf of the community accurate and consistent information. Start with the community and their concerns. Messages should convey what is known and unknown about PFAS and acknowledge uncertainty, include a commitment to share new information, and explain how decisions will be made to protect public health and remediate an identified PFAS contamination. It may be necessary to communicate how the relevant government agencies work and who has the authority to make various decisions. Messages to the community should be tailored to the situation, clearly articulate the issues at hand, and state the steps that will be taken to resolve them. In the case of water quality risks, public safety should be a prominent message point. Messages should convey empathy, concern, commitment, and action. Sample PFAS Messages • PFAS are highly persistent chemicals that have been widely used for decades in industrial applications, household and consumer products, food packaging, and firefighting foams. • Your health and safety are our priority. PFAS are not a federally regulated drinking water contaminant, but our goal is to protect everyone’s health [and not exceed health advisory levels or state standards, as applicable]. • Our scientific understanding of PFAS is evolving, and research on health effects from PFAS exposure is ongoing. • We are actively working to obtain more information about PFAS in our community as quickly as possible. Additional testing is ongoing, which will help us answer more questions and determine next steps. • We are committed to transparency, and we will share new information about PFAS as it becomes available. Stay updated by visiting [website or agency] • We monitor for PFAS in our drinking water on a regular basis. Our level is typically [X], which is [lower/higher] than the [federal health advisory level/state standard]. o If you have high PFAS concentrations (either perceived by a stakeholder group or above state or federal guidance), be prepared to explain planned or in-progress abatement actions.
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