WQP recently reported that Pennsylvania (PA) regulators have announced a plan to begin testing state water supplies deemed most likely to have PFAS contamination. According to Penn Live, over 300 different drinking water supplies will be tested for the chemicals and the state had already previously been monitoring “19 known contamination sources”.
With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not officially regulating PFAS contamination in drinking water, more states are taking action to ensure the safety of citizens—with Pennsylvania becoming the latest. In a written statement, Pennsylvania Environmental Secretary Patrick McDonnell said: “DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] will not hesitate to step up when the federal government fails to.”
Penn Live also reports that, in March, a resident of York County, PA, had their tap water tested for PFAS chemicals and the results showed combined PFAS/PFOA levels of 186 parts per trillion. In contrast, the EPA has established lifetime exposure to PFOA and PFOS drinking water “health advisory levels” at 70 parts per trillion.
Check out the website Safer States, which tracks the policies different states have in place to combat exposure to PFAS chemicals.
