WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency issued preliminary regulatory determinations for two PFAS chemicals on Wednesday. The determinations are the first step toward federal standards on how much of the chemicals are safe in drinking water.
The two chemicals — perfluorooctanesulfonic acid or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA — have been found in drinking water across the country, including in New Hampshire.
The compounds are used to make non-stick cookware and to line some food containers, and have been linked to a range of health problems. PFOA is the compound found in water in Merrimack around the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant, and several chemicals in the PFAS family have been found in water in Seacoast towns near the Pease Air Force Base and Coakley Landfill.
In 2019, New Hampshire enacted its own strict limits on the acceptable level of PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
But a lawsuit, brought by parties that include the Plymouth Village Water and Sewer District and PFAS-using manufacturer 3M, has put the new standards on hold. In a November ruling, a judge wrote that the Department of Environmental Services had not conducted an “adequate cost-benefit analysis” when the department decided to regulate the chemicals.
The EPA’s action Wednesday is just a first step in a lengthy process toward setting a federal standard for how much PFOS and PFOA is safe in drinking water. All the EPA does with this step is propose there should be a limit on PFOA and PFOS in drinking water, before determining what the limit should be.
The EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for the next two months.
In the meantime, the agency is gathering data on other PFAS substances, and seeking comment on potential monitoring requirements and regulatory approaches for other PFAS chemicals.
