EPA’s Proposed Limits on PFAS Chemicals

This week, the EPA said it will move with urgency to set enforceable drinking water limits on certain polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” which do not break down naturally and have turned up in the water supplies of communities across the country. In 2016 the Obama administration put in place a recommended, but unenforceable, health advisory limit of 70 parts per trillion for certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water, a level that scientists have said is insufficient to protect public health. Once mandatory standards come into effect, which will take years, local water utilities will face penalties if they fail to meet them.