As SGS joins the rest of the globe in navigating the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the health and safety of our clients, staff, families and communities is always our top priority. As we offer you news on PFAS and emerging contaminants, we wish you and yours the best of health.
As our attention and immediate priority is keeping our loved ones healthy and combatting the spread of COVID-19, news on PFAS and emerging contaminants is coming as often as ever. A clean and healthy environment, after all, and the governance, science, detection and activism surrounding them, remain priorities as well.
This month, news comes from across the United States and Australia, where PFAS contamination is interfering with aboriginal cultural practices. A study published by the American Chemical Society an innovative strategy for removing PFAS from water with a hydrogel that contains perfluoropolyethers, literally fighting PFAS with PFAS. In stories from 14 states are new detection sites, EPA grants for remediation, proposed legislation, warnings to farmers, to parents about their children’s teeth and so much more.
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Click on SGS PFAS/emerging contaminants analysis capabilities, and see why SGS delivers what you need every step of way.
Better Together: Integrating New Capabilities
SGS offers the full complement of environmental, health and safety analytical services at multiple laboratories across the United States and Canada for soil, water, air, and bulk materials. SGS is your one-stop for all your environmental analytical needs.
To find out how we can best help you with your PFAS analysis, call +1 800 329 0204 or email PFAS.Expert@sgs.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
The SGS PFAS Team
U.S. and Global
Groups Petition EPA for Regulation of PFAS Chemicals Under RCRA
Several environmental groups filed a petition asking the EPA to regulate PFAS under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”)… Designating PFAS as a hazardous waste would have major consequences for entities that produce, transport, or utilize these substances in their products.
Wreck Bay PFAS Contamination Impacted Aboriginal Cultural Practices on South Coast
The Wreck Bay Aboriginal community has been forced to stop cultural practices and stop teaching those practices to children following the identification of toxic chemicals in soil and a waterway, according to their annual report.
EPA Inches Toward PFAS Drinking Water Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken the next step toward setting drinking water limits for two PFAS chemicals — PFOA and PFOS. Environmentalists say the step is small and they want to see quicker, bolder action.
Lawsuit Filed in DC Seeks Money for Testing, Treatment for Controversial Chemicals Contaminating Water
The National Rural Water Association (NWRA) said an issue with groundwater and its reported contamination by perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFAS) led them to sue multiple companies that have a history of using and selling such chemicals.
Fighting PFAS with PFAS
In this issue of ACS Central Science, Kumarasamy et al. present an innovative strategy for removing PFAS from water with a hydrogel that contains perfluoropolyethers, literally fighting PFAS with PFAS.
John Dillard: Forever Chemicals Could Affect Your Farm
Concerns over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are not on the radar of most producers. However, PFAS presence has had devastating consequences for dairy operations in Maine and New Mexico.
FDA Studies: ‘Short-chain’ PFAS Chemicals More Toxic Than Previously Thought
New studies by the Food and Drug Administration indicate that a common fluorinated chemical in food packaging and stain-resistant carpets and textiles is much more toxic than earlier studies by the chemical industry suggested.
Do Your Kids Have Cavities/Tooth Decay? It Could Be from a Chemical Found in Drinking Water
Children with higher concentrations of a certain chemical in their blood are more likely to get cavities, according to a new study by West Virginia University School of Dentistry researchers.
Alabama
Watchdog Group Says PFAS Chemicals Found at Former Dump Site
DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) – Environmental watchdog group Tennessee Riverkeeper says “alarming levels” of PFAS chemicals have been found at a former dump site in Decatur.
California
SCV Water Closing 13 Additional Wells After Testing Positive for PFAS
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) has announced that they are set to voluntarily shut down 13 additional wells in compliance with new state PFAS regulations, officials said Friday.
Delaware
Delaware DHS Gets Nearly $60K from EPA to Fight PFAS Contamination
The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services is getting tens of thousands of dollars in federal money to fight PFAS contamination.
Florida
Firefighting Chemicals Polluted Miami-Dade Tap Water
Recent testing shows the groundwater at Miami Dade College’s North Campus is contaminated with firefighting chemicals that pose health risks, Florida regulators say.
Indiana
Cleaning Products Could Expose Children to Dangerous Contaminants at Child Care Facilities
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A new peer-reviewed study, co-authored by two Indiana University researchers, suggests high levels of dangerous contaminants — known as PFAS — are finding their way into child care centers through the very products intended to keep children healthy.
Indiana-based Companies in Charge of Incinerating Military’s PFAS Firefighting Foam Stockpiles
Two Indiana-based hazardous waste treatment companies are playing a leading role nationally in the incineration of the U.S. military’s stockpiles of toxic firefighting foam and have landed in the middle of a legal battle.
Massachusetts
Barnstable County seeks to pave over PFAS-tainted property
HYANNIS — Barnstable County is seeking approval from the town of Barnstable to “cap” its PFAS-contaminated Fire and Rescue Training Academy property with 55,000 square feet of impervious pavement.
Michigan
3M to Pay $55M in Michigan PFAS Settlement
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Chemical manufacturer 3M will pay $55 million to help footwear giant Wolverine World Wide cover the cost of extending municipal water to neighborhoods with drinking water contaminated by PFAS chemicals from industrial waste dumping.
First Batch of Pellston Water Tests Detect PFAS in Some Area Wells
EMMET COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — The first batch of samples testing for PFAS in Pellston water are in and 39 of the 54 detected at least some PFAS in the water.
Michigan Panel to Consider Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’
LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan panel is preparing to consider proposed limits on some nonstick, water-resistant chemicals in drinking water…They would set maximum levels of seven types of chemicals known as PFAS.
Minnesota
State Releases List of Expedited Projects Funded by 3M Settlement
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources have released a list of funded expedited projects through the 3M PFC settlement.
New Hampshire
NH Bill Would Require Bottled Water Companies to Follow Chemical Standards Set by State
MANCHESTER, N.H. —New Hampshire could soon require bottled water companies to test for and remove PFAS contaminants.
Shaheen Unveils $20 billion PFAS Water Bill
PORTSMOUTH — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has introduced legislation to provide $20 billion over the next decade to help communities clean-up PFAS contamination in drinking water and private wells.
New York
Toxic PFOA and PFOS Burning at Norlite in Cohoes Went Unreported
The company that was burning toxic PFOA and PFOS compounds near a housing project did so unbeknownst to the city in 2018 and most of 2019.The lack of reporting occurred because there are no laws requiring that Norlite LLC notify authorities that it was accepting and incinerating the substances at its South Saratoga Street facility.
Water Tests Show Toxins Near Rensselaer Landfill, Environmental Groups Say
RENSSELAER — Water tests taken at three locations near the Dunn Landfill found elevated levels of toxic chemicals, environmentalist groups said Saturday.
North Carolina
School Boards Eye Filtration to Remove PFAS
Schools in New Hanover and Brunswick counties are installing new water filling stations and special filters in reaction to continuing concerns about levels of industrial contaminants found in drinking water systems.
Forever Chemicals: PFAS Regulation Lags in NC as More Evidence Emerges
When it comes to PFAS news and worry aren’t in short supply. Documentation showing the presence in many parts of North Carolina of some of the roughly 5,000 compounds that fall under the PFAS category has expanded rapidly with an increase in testing and research, including new studies that are due to be released this summer.
Ohio
Ohio EPA: Water Systems at Schools, Daycares Being Tested First for PFAS
Nearly 250 Ohio schools and daycares with their own water supply systems are the first public systems being tested by the state for PFAS, or so-called forever chemicals.
West Virginia
Lawmakers Ask State DEP, Health Officials to Sample Water Supplies For Toxins
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers adopted a resolution asking state environmental protection and health officials to propose and initiate a statewide plan to sample public water sources for chemicals that previously were found to have contaminated Martinsburg’s water supply.
Wisconsin
McFarland Fire and Rescue Figuring Out What to Do with PFAS
With 200 gallons of foam containing PFAS stored away, McFarland Fire and Rescue is determining what to do with the foam as concern about PFAS increases.
DNR Directs Johnson Controls To Expand Drinking Water Sampling For PFAS
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is directing a Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam to expand its investigation of drinking water that might be contaminated by so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS.
Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill to Combat PFAS Pollution
Wisconsin Assembly Republicans hastily put together a bill addressing PFAS contamination and pushed it through to the Senate early Friday, just moments before adjourning for the year.
