Over 20% of Americans currently draw their water from systems where levels of PFAS are high enough to require reporting to the EPA. That is according to data released by the EPA themselves.
The state of Virginia is currently in compliance with the EPA in performing research for future regulations of these forever chemicals. This has caused realistic concerns with Virginia residents as it is clearly evident that most PFAS will be unregulated until those MCLs (maximum contaminant levels) are realized.
So what are PFAS? Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or “PFAS”, are ‘forever’ chemicals that are found in non-stick cookware, cosmetics, fire retardants, water proofing, fertilizers etc.. These chemicals leach from landfills and can be released into the air, water and soil by various industries. PFAS are considered forever chemicals due to their fluorine-carbon bonds that are so difficult to break that they don’t break down naturally in the environment. Unfortunately, due to the proliferation of PFAS, they have contaminated fish, wildlife and of course, humans.
While the health risks of PFAS are not fully known at the moment, there is a lot of finance behind its research. The Epidemiological evidence suggests PFAS exposure is linked to increased cancer risk, compromised liver and immune systems, decrease in fertility and interference of the body’s natural hormones. Current research strongly suggests PFAS’ role in complications in pregnancy; both human and in animals alike. Those complications can range from simpler things like high blood pressure in pregnant women to low birth weights, birth defects and delayed development in newborns.
So what is the plan to regulate PFAS? Currently the EPA has MCLs for 6 PFAS. However, there are over 14,000 PFAS registered in the EPA’s toxicity database. Due to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA is required to issue a list of unregulated contaminants to be monitored by the water systems for regulatory purposes in 5 years increments. Due to this, the EPA published the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) on December 27, 2021. The UCMR 5 lists 29 PFAS and Lithium to be studied for regulatory purposes between the years 2023 and 2029. Over this time, the water systems and treatment facilities will be performing quarterly sampling for PFAS. This data will be used to help create Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) allowable in the water supply. That being said, the EPA noted that “UCMR 5 results for the newly regulated PFAS do not indicate current compliance or noncompliance with the MCLs.” So, until that research is fully realized in 2029, there are no limits on the levels of those 29 PFAS in the water supply.
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Company Name: Hampton Roads Water Services LLC
Contact Person: Jason Malucci
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Phone: (757)437-1111
Country: United States
Website: http://hrwaterservices.com/
