Pennsylvania Sets Drinking Water Standards on Two PFAS Compounds

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has passed new restrictions on two classes of toxic chemicals known as PFAS.

Often referred to as “timeless chemicals” because they do not naturally degrade in the environment, PFAS compounds have been linked to serious health problems, including some types of cancer.

The move means that all public and private drinking water treatment facilities in the state, as well as commercial bottled water plants, as well as schools and healthcare facilities, will be required to test for toxic substances, report results, and purify water from chemicals present above normal. maximum contamination levels (MCL).

Although chemicals have been used in consumer products since the 1940s, scientists refer to them as “emerging pollutants” because little is known about their effects on human health.

There are no federal maximum contamination levels (MCLs) for PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in public drinking water.

As a result, states have taken action, and there is now a patchwork of rules across the country.

“Since Gov. Tom Wolf signed the executive order in 2018, DEP has been committed to protecting Pennsylvanians from the adverse effects of PFAS,” Acting DEP Secretary Ramez Ziade said. “We are still studying these chemicals and these new MCLs are a step in the right direction.”

The Environmental Protection Agency sets the federal level of health advice for PFAS, but unlike the MCL, these recommendations are non-binding. In June 2022, the agency lowered the recommended level from 70 parts per trillion to almost zero parts per trillion after announcing that the compounds were more dangerous than previously thought.

New Pennsylvania regulations will limit PFAS compounds PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) to 14 parts per trillion and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) to 18 parts per trillion.

The rulemaking came after DEP asked Drexel University to assess PFAS pollution in the state. The study concluded that the EPA health guidelines for PFAS no longer protect public health. In October, the State Council on Environmental Quality voted 15–3 in favor of the restrictions.

“This was of great need for people who are currently drinking water contaminated with these highly toxic compounds,” Tracey Carluccio of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network said during the vote. “Each day when people drink water containing PFAS, their levels of these toxins increase in their blood, increasing the risk of developing PFOA and PFOS related disease.”

For decades, PFAS chemicals have polluted water, air and soil across the country. These so-called “timeless” chemicals are widely used in consumer products such as non-stick cookware, flame retardant fabrics and some food packaging, and in firefighting foam used on active and decommissioned military bases.

Pollution has had a significant impact on residents in areas such as Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, Monmouth County in New Jersey, and Dover and Blades in Delaware.

Numerous health concerns, including some cancers, associated with PFAS have led to lawsuits against product companies such as DuPont and its successor companies, as well as 3M. The effects of exposure are long-term – the compounds can remain in the human bloodstream for years.

Carluccio and other environmentalists argue that while Pennsylvania’s rulemaking is a step in the right direction, it is not restrictive enough. They called for lowering the MCL, regulating more PFAS connections, and protecting private wells. (Private wells are not regulated by the federal Clean Drinking Water Act, and the states have no authority over them.)

Delaware has proposed implementing its own MCLs, while New Jersey already caps PFAS at 13 ppt for PFOS and PFNA and 14 ppt for PFOA.

The EPA is expected to propose federal limits on PFAS in drinking water in March. Last year, the EPA also announced a roadmap to address PFAS.

This story was produced in collaboration with StateImpact Pennsylvania, in collaboration with WESA, The Allegheny Front, WITF and WHYY.

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