The EPA’s new rules set an enforceable limit, called a maximum contaminant level, for five kinds of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances as well as for the mixture of two or more of certain PFAS analytes.
PFAS include thousands of man-made chemicals used to make products ranging from nonstick cookware to firefighting foam and have been called “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally. If consumed, the chemicals can build up in one’s body, potentially causing a host of health effects including cancer and liver damage.
In 2021, the Oregon Health Authority began sampling nearly 150 of the state’s 3,450 water systems for the chemicals. The agency resampled some of those places last year.
According to that data, over a dozen of those tested water systems, many servicing residents at mobile home and RV parks and including locations from Josephine to Multnomah counties, had levels of PFAS above the new EPA’s guidelines.
The OHA’s existing health advisory levels for PFAS, which are non-regulatory standards meant to provide information on health risks for residents, are currently significantly higher than the new federal limit. For example, Oregon’s advisory level for PFOS and PFOA, linked to decreased vaccination response in children and increased cholesterol, is 30 nanograms per liter. The EPA’s limit for those analytes is 4 nanograms per liter.
In a press release, the EPA said their new rule will reduce exposure to PFAS for around 100 million people and prevent thousands of deaths. The agency will give public water systems three years to test for the chemicals. Operators have five years to lower PFAS levels in their water if those are found to be over the maximum contaminant level.
Nearly $1 billion in federal grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be available nationally for that effort.
Copyright 2024 Jefferson Public Radio.