More Action Needed to Stop PFAS at Its Source and Address Existing Contamination
The EPA on Wednesday, April 10 set the first-ever federal limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a key step toward protecting Americans from the substances that are linked to serious human health issues.
The final rule requires public water systems to reduce levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which have been found in the tap water of tens of millions of Americans. It’s the first new EPA drinking water standard issued since the 1990s.
It sets a cap of 4 parts per trillion for two widely studied and toxic PFAS known as PFOA and PFOS and sets a limit for a mixture of two or more of the following substances: PFNA; PFHxS; PFBS; and HFPO-DA, also known as GenX. In addition, water systems would need to reduce concentrations of PFNA, PFHxS and GenX to no more than 10 parts per trillion. Grassroots community advocacy across the nation, including Waterkeepers and their communities, pushed the EPA to expand the original list of two to six.
“The EPA’s new drinking water limits on PFAS chemicals will give tens of millions of people the protection they should have had decades ago. With these new limits, state regulators and water utilities can move forward to remove PFAS from our water resources, including restricting discharges from industrial sources. We need to make every effort to turn off the tap of PFAS at the source, and clean up historic water, sediment and soil contamination.” – Robin Broder, Deputy Director, Waterkeepers Chesapeake
Known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS take thousands of years to break down and accumulate in water, people, wildlife, aquatic life, and the environment. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. The new rule will require utilities to upgrade their facilities to treat their water so levels of PFAS are as close to zero as possible. These upgrades would also address other PFAS compounds not part of this rule. In 2022, Waterkeepers in the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays region took 39 samples in rivers and streams to test for PFAS, and in 100% of the samples, levels of PFAS were found.
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