It seems that one cannot go a day without reading or hearing a media story about the dangers of PFAS, and you don’t want to be in those stories.  PFAS, which stands for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of chemicals that have been used by almost every industry and in thousands of consumer products since the late 1940s. They are often called forever chemicals because they accumulate in the body and don’t break down easily in the environment.

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Much of recent media coverage is related to efforts by the federal government to regulate at least a handful of specific PFAS chemicals in drinking water. Regulation has been deemed necessary since PFAS have been linked with health issues such as testicular cancer, infertility, low birth weight and thyroid disease.

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Existing & Coming Regulation

 In March of 2023, the EPA announced its recommended standards for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water – 4 parts per trillion (ppt). Many states already regulate PFAS in drinking water and surface water. Once the state regulatory agency names the responsible party and a case is opened, the company is responsible for investigating and remediating the contamination and is subject to fines and legal action for not doing so as prescribed.

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Media Coverage Fueling Fear Factor

Because of its many uses, the presence of PFAS is ubiquitous. A national study from the U.S. Geological Survey found that nearly half of tap water in the U.S. is estimated to have at least one type of PFAS. USGS studied unregulated private wells giving consumers information about the risks of PFAS when they grab a glass of water from their kitchen sink. These media headlines just reinforce the potential fear – “What’s lurking in your tap water.”

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Who Will Pay?

Regulation will require testing of public drinking water systems to identify the levels of the 6 PFAS chemicals EPA is acting on now, but there are thousands of others that could also have health risks and be regulated. Where PFAS levels exceed regulatory standards, public water systems will be required to find a way to remove the PFAS and to pay for doing so. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act provides some funding for addressing PFAS, but the cost of remediating will impact the whole economy.  Regulatory and legal efforts will focus on identifying and stopping the sources of PFAS impacting each water system/community, and naming responsible parties to help fund the cleanup.

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In fact, EPA is proposing to classify PFAS as a hazardous substance under CERCLA which means that contamination areas could be classified as Superfund sites.

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Information sharing is key to managing risk, and there are real-world consequences if you don’t get the messaging right. Environmental Stakeholder Strategies will help you do that.