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Image from Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (Michigan.gov/PFASresponse). This illustration shows how PFAS, manufactured by industry, persists by cycling through the environment.
6-02-2024 10:40pm
New Federal Regs Put Pressure on MA Local Public Water Suppliers to Address PFAS in Water Supply
Darlene Cancell
Editor
While the PFAS MCL (maximum contaminant level) of water supplied by the Dedham-Westwood Water District currently complies with state standards (according to the water district’s new 2023 Consumer Confidence Report) the water district may need to make adjustments in the near future, as Massachusetts is expected to revise its PFAS standards in the next two years to reflect new, stricter federal regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding PFAS in drinking water.
PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are manufactured chemicals that have been used in non-stick and water resistant consumer products since the 1940s. They persist in the environment and can accumulate over time in the bodies and blood of people and animals. Studies have found PFAS can lead to health effects, even at very low levels. PFAS are being found in water supplies, waste sites, consumer products, food packaging, and living beings throughout the world. Health effects can include increased risk of cancer, obesity, cholesterol levels, reduced immunity to infections, developmental and reproductive effects, and other issues.
On April 10th, EPA announced its final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, in which it established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for six PFAS. While Massachusetts currently regulates six PFAS (called “PFAS6”), they are not all the same as that which EPA has decided should be regulated. Two of the PFAS now regulated by EPA are not currently subject to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) regulations.
The compliance levels for PFAS set by MassDEP are less strict than the new federal MCLs. MassDEP currently limits PFAS6 to a total sum of no more than 20 parts per trillion (ppt), and does not regulate PFAS individually. The Dedham-Westwood Water District's monthly samples of PFAS6 for 2023 resulted in a range of 7.o4-18.9 ppt, with 15.1 ppt being the highest quarterly average. The water district's PFAS levels are in compliance with current MassDEP regulations by being less than 20 ppt. In contrast, the new EPA regulations limit PFAS levels in drinking water for six individual PFAS to 4.0 ppt and 10 ppt.
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Chart Comparing MassDEP to Federal EPA Regulations for Per- and Polyflourinated Substances
|
Per- and Polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) |
MassDEP MCLs |
EPA MCLs |
|
PFOA |
-- |
4.0 ppt |
|
PFOS |
-- |
4.0 ppt |
|
PFNA |
-- |
10 ppt |
|
PFHxS |
-- |
10 ppt |
|
GenX |
-- |
10 ppt |
|
PFDA |
-- |
-- |
|
FHpA |
--- |
-- |
|
Mixture of 2 or more: PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, PFBS |
--- |
1 (unitless) Hazard Index |
|
Mixture of PFAS6: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFHpA, and PFDA |
20 ppt |
--- |
States have two years from the promulgation of the federal PFAS MCLs to establish new state standards that are at least as stringent as the new EPA standards.
“[A]nything we can do to reduce PFAS in water, soil, and air, can have a meaningful impact on health,” states the EPA in an explanatory fact sheet about PFAS.
“MassDEP is already working with the PWS [public water systems] that exceeded the Massachusetts PFAS6 MCL to address PFAS in their water source and will be working with the additional PWS that exceed the EPA MCLS,” said MassDEP in an April 12th press release.
MassDEP notes that grants and low or zero percent interest loans are available to public water suppliers to address PFAS in their systems. One way that public water systems are addressing PFAS contamination in their systems is by constructing new facilities, mains, and wells.
