SGS is following these stories and will continue to keep you up-to-date:
MICHIGAN
State of Michigan Offers “Action Response” for PFAS Contamination
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) was launched in 2017 and is the first multi-agency action team of its kind in the nation. It is a collaboration of heath, environment and other branches of state government that are “investigating sources and locations of PFAS contamination in the state, to take action to protect people’s drinking water, and to keep the public informed as we learn more about this emerging contaminant.” See the MPART website here.
State hunting for potential sources of PFAS in Flint’s Gilkey Creek The state of Michigan is testing sites around Gilkey Creek to identify potential PFAS substances, in the tributary of the Flint River. Testing is also being done at a nearby landfill. A fire-suppression foam used at the site has been connected to elevated PFAS readings. “Surface water results confirm that PFOS is elevated in Gilkey Creek within the city of Flint, east of Center Road, to the discharge point of the creek to the Flint River,” the state’s Web site says.
NEW ENGLAND
N.H. Eyes Quick Timeline for New PFAS Limits In Drinking Water
New Hampshire is expected to enact maximum contaminant levels for four PFAS contaminants in drinking water by January 2019. In late June, the EPA held a two-day regional summit on PFAS chemicals where residents requested that state and federal agencies manage PFAS contamination more aggressively. In part, the proposed legislation would let the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services hire a toxicologist and a human health risk assessor.
The EPA will hold similar meetings July 25 in Horsham, PA, and yet unannounced dates in eastern North Carolina and Colorado.
MassDEP Finalizes Guidelines for Five PFAS in Drinking Water
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently released drinking water guidelines for five PFAS chemicals: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), all at a total summed level of.070 micrograms per liter (μg/L) or 70 parts per trillion (ppt). Approximately three percent of the public water systems tested in Massachusetts found PFAS at some level. MAssDEP recommends that pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants not consume water when PFAS substances are above 70 ppt, and that public water suppliers take quick measures to lower levels of the designated PFAS chemicals to below 70 ppt for all consumers.
NEW YORK
Three Rochester, NY Monitoring Wells Show PFAS Contamination
Two wells at an old Rochester, NY landfill and one at the city’s wastewater treatment plant have tested positive for PFAS chemicals. As a result, New York State has told Rochester to expand its PFAS monitoring program for these sites and others.
NORTH CAROLINA
GenX Found in Rain
In early February 2018, University of North Carolina at Wilmington researchers found trace amounts of GenX in rainwater on campus. The concentration was about 25 parts per trillion, well under the state’s health goal for the compound, which is produced by Chemours in Bladen County and used to make Teflon, among other things. That goal, 140 parts per trillion, is based on tests on mice and translated to what scientists predict would be safe for a bottle-fed baby to consume. Later that month, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality posted a map of rain water collections near the Chemours plant itself where GenX registered in all 10 locations, including one that showed the chemical above the state health goal. That location registered as high as 630 parts per trillion.
SGS has a proven track record for excellence in PFAS analysis. For more information on PFAS analysis and SGS capabilities, go here.
With the capacity, experience and expertise to provide the full service PFAS and GenX analysis to government and industry, SGS EHS USA is keeping its clients informed of an increase in identification of PFAS in drinking water sites and regulatory action in states and localities. Here are recent linked headlines from around the nation:
• State of Michigan Offers “Action Response” for PFAS Contamination,
• State hunting for potential sources of PFAS in Flint’s Gilkey Creek
• N.H. Eyes Quick Timeline for New PFAS Limits In Drinking Water
• MassDEP Finalizes Guidelines for Five PFAS in Drinking Water
• Three Rochester, NY Monitoring Wells Show PFAS Contamination
• GenX Found in Rain
To find out how we can best help you with your PFAS analysis, call (800) 329-0204 or email ehs.clientcare@sgs.com.
