PFA's PFOA's and PFOS's What are they?
Water Testing
PFA, PFOA and PFOS
Today, 02-14-2019
EPA Acting Administrator Announces First-Ever Comprehensive Nationwide PFAS Action Plan
While this is a huge step in the right direction and addresses a long standing concern for many of our customers, much more needs to be mandated. In reguards to PFA, PFOA and PFOS we surely needed someone to come along break up the, Don't Test, Don't Tell policy that municipalities have held for a long time. The historic plan outlines concrete steps the agency is taking to address PFAS and to protect public health.
As Erin Brockovich put it:
"This is a step in the right direction... but herein lies the problem for consumers...
Don't Test... Don't Tell.... thousands of communities still refuse to test their water supplies for these toxic chemicals... and sadly, they are often being detected where you might not otherwise expect them. After utilities test for these toxins... they need to report their findings to consumers... period, regardless of the values detected. Consumers have the Right-to-Know what is in their drinking water... a dozen states have reduced health advisories to levels below 10 ng/L... and New Jersey has already adopted maximum contaminant regulations."
What are Polyfluoroalkyl substances?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. ... Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don't break down and they can accumulate over time.
What are PFAS used for?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water, and oil. For decades, they have been used in hundreds of industrial applications and consumer products such as carpeting, apparels, upholstery, food paper wrappings, fire-fighting foams and metal plating.
Can PFAS be absorbed through the skin?
PFAS are poorly absorbed through skin and swallowing small amounts of water while swimming will not result in significant exposure. ... People are exposed through food, water, dust or consumer products. Some PFAS can build up and stay in the human body for many years.
What are PFOS in water?
Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in Water. ... They are water and lipid-resistant synthetic compounds. PFOS and PFOA are used as a coating on leathers and fabrics, in the production of stain-repellent carpeting, and are found in fire resistant foams among other items.
How long do PFAS stay in your system?
The most commonly used perfluoroalkyls (PFOA and PFOS) stay in the body for many years. It takes approximately 4 years for the level in the body to go down by half, even if no more is taken in.
What does PFOA do to your body?
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is another man-made chemical. ... PFOA has the potential to be a health concern because it can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. Studies have found that it is present worldwide at very low levels in just about everyone's blood.
Can PFAS be filtered out of water?
Both granular activated carbon (GAC) and reverse osmosis (RO) filters can remove PFAS substances. Both systems provide less water flow than a standard water faucet. ... removes minerals from water.
Can PFAS be boiled out of water?
You can't boil PFAS out of your water. This isn't something that can be boiled out of water. ... However, you can lower the levels of PFAS in the water. According to the state of Michigan, you can treat water in your home to lower the levels of PFAS in the water.
Is PFAS a carcinogen?
possibly carcinogenic and EPA has concluded that both PFOA and PFOS are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Some studies have found increases in prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers in workers exposed to PFAS and people living near a PFOA facility.
See the news release below.
News Releases from Headquarters›Water (OW)
EPA Acting Administrator Announces First-Ever Comprehensive Nationwide PFAS Action Plan
Historic plan outlines concrete steps the agency is taking to address PFAS and to protect public health
02/14/2019
Contact Information:
EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)
PHILADELPHIA (February 14, 2019) — Today, at an event in Philadelphia, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced EPA’s Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan. This historic PFAS Action Plan responds to extensive public interest and input the agency has received over the past year and represents the first time EPA has built a multi-media, multi-program, national communication and research plan to address an emerging environmental challenge like PFAS. EPA’s Action Plan identifies both short-term solutions for addressing these chemicals and long-term strategies that will help provide the tools and technologies states, tribes, and local communities need to provide clean and safe drinking water to their residents and to address PFAS at the source—even before it gets into the water.
“The PFAS Action Plan is the most comprehensive cross-agency plan to address an emerging chemical of concern ever undertaken by EPA,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “For the first time in Agency history, we utilized all of our program offices to construct an all-encompassing plan to help states and local communities address PFAS and protect our nation’s drinking water. We are moving forward with several important actions, including the maximum contaminant level process, that will help affected communities better monitor, detect, and address PFAS.”
The Action Plan describes long- and short-term actions that the EPA is taking including:
- Drinking water: EPA is moving forward with the maximum contaminant level (MCL) process outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act for PFOA and PFOS—two of the most well-known and prevalent PFAS chemicals. By the end of this year, EPA will propose a regulatory determination, which is the next step in the Safe Drinking Water Act process for establishing an MCL.
- Clean up: EPA has already begun the regulatory development process for listing PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances and will issue interim groundwater cleanup recommendations for sites contaminated with PFOA and PFOS. This important work will provide additional tools to help states and communities address existing contamination and enhance the ability to hold responsible parties accountable.
- Enforcement: EPA will use available enforcement tools to address PFAS exposure in the environment and assist states in enforcement activities.
- Monitoring: EPA will propose to include PFAS in nationwide drinking water monitoring under the next Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program. The agency will also consider PFAS chemicals for listing in the Toxics Release Inventory to help the agency identify where these chemicals are being released.
- Research: EPA will develop new analytical methods so that more PFAS chemicals can be detected in drinking water, in soil, and in groundwater. These efforts will improve our ability to monitor and assess potential risks. EPA’s research efforts also include developing new technologies and treatment options to remove PFAS from drinking water at contaminated sites.
- Risk Communications: EPA will work across the agency—and the federal government—to develop a PFAS risk communication toolbox that includes materials that states, tribes, and local partners can use to effectively communicate with the public.
For more visit: www.epa.gov/pfas
Background
In May 2018, EPA convened a two-day National Leadership Summit on PFAS in Washington, D.C. that brought together more than 200 federal, state, and local leaders from across the country to discuss steps to address PFAS. Following the Summit, the agency hosted a series of visits during the summer of 2018 in communities directly impacted by PFAS. EPA interacted with more than 1,000 people during community engagement events in Exeter, New Hampshire, Horsham, Pennsylvania, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Leavenworth, Kansas as well as through a roundtable in Kalamazoo, Michigan and events with tribal representatives in Spokane, Washington. The Action Plan was developed based on feedback from these events in addition to information received from approximately 120,000 comments submitted to the public docket.