First Proposed National Standard to Protect Against PFAS in Drinking Water

Mre people are become concerned about the harmful nature of the enormous class of “forever” chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This category of manufactured chemicals can cause serious health problems, including cancer, if people are exposed to them over a long period of time. 

PFAS have been used since the 1940s and are found in thousands of places from cookware to shower curtains, and are also found in soil and waterways due to contamination. There are estimated to be over 10,000 unique chemicals in the PFAS class, and scientists are able to molecularly identify approximately 100 of them. Although PFAS have been measured in drinking water for nearly a decade, there have been no federal regulations on their amount.

On March 14, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first new drinking water standard since 1996. This proposal would establish legally enforceable levels for six specific PFAS chemicals known to be found in drinking water. Two of the six chemicals included in the proposal (PFOA and PFOS) are no longer being manufactured, but because they are “forever chemicals,” they are still being found in drinking water.

According to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, “This action has the potential to prevent tens of thousands of PFAS-related illnesses and marks a major step toward safeguarding all our communities from these dangerous contaminants.” As reported by the Associate Press, “it could cost roughly $38 billion to remove enough the chemicals to meet a strict EPA rule limiting them to where they can’t be detected, according to an estimate prepared by engineering consultant Black & Veatch for the American Water Works Association, an industry group. There also will be ongoing costs for filter material and testing.”

The proposal, if finalized, would regulate PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants, and will regulate four other PFAS – PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals – as a mixture.

• PFOA and PFOS: EPA is proposing to regulate PFOA and PFOS at a level they can be reliably measured at 4 parts per trillion.
• PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals: For these PFAS, EPA is also proposing water systems would use an established approach called a hazard index calculation, defined in the proposed rule, to determine if the combined levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk.

If finalized, the proposed regulation will require public water systems to monitor for these chemicals. It will also require systems to notify the public and reduce PFAS contamination if levels exceed the proposed regulatory standards. EPA anticipates that if fully implemented, the rule will, over time, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses.

Other actions EPA will take to help reduce exposure to PFAS include:

• Monitoring thousands of drinking water systems across the country for dozens of PFAS, beginning this year;
• Taking final action on a proposal to designate two PFAS as “hazardous substances” to help hold polluters accountable;
• Restricting PFAS discharges to our waterways by strengthening Clean Water Act standards;
• Finalizing chemical data and safety rules that will increase knowledge about PFAS, allow faster and more strategic actions to be taken, and restrict legacy PFAS from reentering production; and
• Considering public comments submitted on the proposed rule toward taking final action on nationwide PFAS drinking water standards.

Comments may be submitted through the public docket, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0114, at www.regulations.gov.