The Biden administration on Wednesday set tight limitations on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water, requiring utilities to reduce them to the lowest level that can be monitored reliably. Officials claim that this will minimize exposure for 100 million people and help avoid thousands of diseases, including cancer. Here’s all about the first national drinking water limit on PFAS
What is the national drinking water limit on toxic PFAS?
The rule establishes the first national drinking water limit on harmful PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, which are abundant and persistent in the environment.
Health activists praised the Environmental Protection Agency for not backing down from the strict limits proposed last year. However, water companies objected to the rule, claiming that treatment systems are expensive to implement and that users will pay more for water.
Water providers are entering a new era with significant extra health standards, which the EPA claims would make tap water safer for millions of people – a Biden administration goal. The government has also proposed requiring utilities to remove dangerous lead pipes.
Utility groups say that the restrictions will cost tens of billions of dollars each and disproportionately affect small areas with fewer resources.
According to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the regulation is the most critical step the agency has ever taken on PFAS.
“The result is a comprehensive and life-changing rule, one that will improve the health and vitality of so many communities across our country,” said Regan.
PFAS chemicals are harmful since they do not break down in the environment and have been related to health disorders such as low birth weight and kidney cancer. They’ve been employed in everyday items like nonstick pans, firefighting foam, and waterproof clothes. Some of the most common varieties have been phased out in the United States, while others persist. Water companies will now be required to remove contaminants introduced into the environment by other industries.
“It’s that accumulation that’s the problem,” said Scott Belcher, a North Carolina State University professor who researches PFAS toxicity. “Even tiny, tiny, tiny amounts each time you take a drink of water over your lifetime is going to keep adding up, leading to the health effects.”
PFAS is a large family of chemical compounds, and the new rule limits two major forms — PFOA and PFOS
PFAS is a large family of chemical compounds, and the new rule limits two major forms — PFOA and PFOS — at 4 parts per trillion. Three additional categories, including GenEx Chemicals, which are a big concern in North Carolina, are restricted to 10 parts per trillion. Water providers will be required to test for certain PFAS chemicals and notify the public when levels are too high. Combinations of certain PFAS types will also be limited.
Regan will announce the regulation on Wednesday in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Environmental and health organizations applauded the rule but claimed PFAS makers knew the substances were toxic decades ago but concealed or downplayed evidence. They argue that limits should have been implemented sooner.
“Reducing PFAS in our drinking water is the most cost-effective way to reduce our exposure,” said the Environmental Working Group’s food and water specialist, Scott Faber. “It’s much more challenging to reduce other exposures, such as PFAS in food or clothing or carpets.”
Over the past year, the EPA has disclosed batches of utility test findings for PFAS in drinking water. Approximately 16% of utilities detected at least one of the two strictly prohibited PFAS compounds at or above the new levels. These utilities serve tens of millions of people. The Biden administration, however, expects about 6-10% of water systems to exceed the new limits.
Water companies will typically have three years to conduct tests. If the tests surpass the restrictions, they will have two years to construct treatment systems, according to EPA officials.
Some funds are available to help utilities. Manufacturer 3M recently agreed to pay more than $10 billion to drinking water providers to settle PFAS litigation. And the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes billions to combat the substance. But utilities say more will be needed.
For some communities, the test results were a surprise. Last June, a utility outside Philadelphia that serves nearly 9,000 people learned that one of its wells had a PFOA level of 235 parts per trillion, among the highest results in the country at the time.
“I mean, obviously, it was a shock,” said Joseph Hastings, director of the joint public works department for the Collegeville and Trappe boroughs, whose job includes solving problems presented by new regulations.
The well was swiftly shut off, but Hastings still has no idea what caused the contamination. Several other wells were above the EPA’s new restrictions but below those imposed by the state of Pennsylvania earlier. According to Hastings, building treatment equipment might cost several million dollars, a significant price for a limited consumer base.
The American Water Works Association, an industry group, says it supports the development of PFAS limits
The new policy is “going to throw public confidence in drinking water into chaos,” said Mike McGill, head of WaterPIO, a water industry communications firm.
The American Water Works Association, an industry group, says it supports the development of PFAS limits in drinking water but believes the EPA’s rule has significant flaws.
The government underestimated its high cost, which cannot be justified in towns with low levels of PFAS, and it would increase customer water costs, according to the association. Furthermore, there aren’t enough specialists and personnel, and supplies of filtration material are scarce.