Environmental agency proposes to regulate `forever chemicals` in drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to regulate “forever chemicals” in drinking water, as recent studies have renewed concerns about the health impact of the substances that are found in most drinking water sources across the country. One recent study placed Miami near the top of a list of U.S. cities with high levels of contamination by the chemicals known as PFAS.

Short for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, PFAS don’t break down easily and have been a problem for water quality managers in Florida and across the country for decades. They have been around since the 1940s and are present in Teflon cookware, firefighting foam and Scotchgard stain repellent, among many other commonly used products.

Extensive exposure to the substances has been linked to higher risks for cancer and birth defects, though the chemicals are so common that most people have been exposed to them.

The federal environmental agency last year launched its PFAS Action Plan, which outlines tools such as monitoring protocols, scientific research and enforcement efforts to help states and local communities deal with the contamination.

The EPA is now seeking public comment on its proposed regulations, including monitoring requirements for eight contaminants listed on its Contaminant Candidate List. The agency wants to regulate the most notorious PFAS chemicals: Teflon chemical PFOA, and PFOS, an ingredient in 3M’s Scotchgard.

In 2016 the EPA issued Health Advisories for PFAS — guidelines designed to give state and local governments information to help them protect human health and the environment. The agency established a non-enforceable health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion for the PFAS compounds, which are also widely used in firefighting foams.

Advocacy groups like the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy nonprofit, and health advocates consider that threshold too high to be considered safe, and 10 states have implemented or are preparing to implement their own standards.

The advocacy group last month published a study saying that PFAS are likely detectable in all major water supplies in the United States. A previous estimate that 110 million Americans could be exposed to the potentially toxic chemicals was “much too low” in light of the recent findings, EWG said.

EWG sampled tap water in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Only Brunswick County in North Carolina and the Quad Cities area in Iowa had higher PFAS concentrations than Miami. Tests conducted in Miami in July last year showed PFAS levels of 56.7 parts per trillion, below the federal advisory level but much higher than EWG’s recommended level of 1 part per trillion. Florida doesn’t have its own standard, and Miami-Dade said it uses the EPA guideline for its threshold on PFAS contamination.

At the time Miami-Dade said that all the drinking water its treatment plants provided was within the EPA advisory level for PFAS. However, six water supply wells out of 89 wells sampled last year were found to have exceeded health advisory levels, leading to the closure last summer of three of those wells, according to Miami-Dade’s Water and Sewer Department.

The closed wells, near Miami International Airport, supply the Hialeah and Preston water plants in the Hialeah area. Firefighting foam has been used for years in training and rescue operations at MIA, which could explain the high level of contaminants in the area.

For additional information on the new proposed regulations and public comment period, see www.epa.gov/safewater.