The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 10th that the agency had finalized the first-ever limits on six per- and polyfluorinated substance (PFAS) chemicals (or mixtures thereof) in drinking water. At the same time, the EPA also announced the release of $1 billion in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to address PFAS contamination of drinking water, including testing and treatment of private wells, which provide the drinking water for 3.5 million Pennsylvanians. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania has long been a poster-child for PFAS contamination, where high-profile cases like the groundwater contamination in Willow Grove sounded early alarm bells about PFAS in drinking water.
PFAS contaminate the drinking water of millions of Americans. Known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and human body. According to EPA, PFAS exposure–even in small amounts over time–is linked to serious health problems including cancer, thyroid disruption and reduced vaccine response. The final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation ensures safer drinking water for roughly 100 million Americans and “will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses,” according to EPA.
Given the high toxicity of PFAS, the new rule requires utilities to reduce these six toxic substances to very low levels in drinking water. The rule also requires utilities to inform the public about contaminated drinking water.
In response to the EPA decision, the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s Clean Water Advocate, Stephanie Wein, released the following statement:
“The EPA is taking a vital step toward protecting Pennsylvania’s drinking water from the toxic scourge of PFAS – including assistance for rural Pennsylvanians. This step is a long time coming for communities in the commonwealth who have been suffering from toxic PFAS contamination in their water for far too long. Hopefully, this rule also reinforces the message that it is time to stop using these chemicals in the first place.