First, SGS has breaking news and we want you to be the first to know. SGS Orlando is now DoD ELAP accredited for EPA draft 1633 PFAS analysis in water and soils. As DoD projects shift to EPA 1633 Draft, we’re here to provide you with high-quality, high-capacity service!
On to this month’s PFAS Update. A remediation strategy from down under and an identification strategy from smack in the middle of the U.S. are just two stories in this jampacked edition. In Australia, scientists show that native plants can significantly remediate PFAS pollutants and at Iowa State University, a research professor is creating a new way of identifying PFAS using high-resolution mass spectrometry. This 43rd issue includes new protection measures from the EPA, numerous lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers and users in individual states, new funding for remediation and much more.
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The SGS PFAS Team
United States and Around the World
EPA Adds Five PFAS Chemicals to List of Regional Screening and Removal Management Levels to Protect Human Health and the Environment
EPA is taking an important step forward to protect people from PFAS by adding five PFAS chemicals for a total of six PFAS chemicals to a list of risk-based values that help EPA determine if response or remediation activities are needed.
PFAS Remediation Spending Forecast to Rise 328% by 2030
According to a new report from Bluefield Research, national spending on treatment systems for PFAS is expected to increase over 328 percent by 2030.
EPA Proposes 3 New Actions to Protect Public from PFAS
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials announced last week three steps they say will better protect communities from pollutants that are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily in the environment or in our bodies.
Burger King and McDonald’s Get Sued for Use of PFAS in Packaging
Two of the most popular fast-food chains in the world are facing lawsuits for using PFAS in their packaging.
Hydroponic native plants to detox PFAS-contaminated water – University of South Australia
Now, new research from the University of South Australia is helping to remediate the ‘indestructible’ PFASs as scientists show that Australian native plants can significantly remediate PFAS pollutants through floating wetlands to create healthier environments for all.
PFAS Separation-Concentration System Introduced in North America
A technology initially developed in Australia by OPEC Systems (Emu Plains, NSW, Australia; www.opecsystems.com) for separating and PFAS in a range of water applications has now been introduced in North America.
Gillibrand Bill Would Further Restrict PFAS-Laden Firefighting Foam
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing a bill to place more restrictions on firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals.
Alaska
Anchorage Group Releases Findings on Water Contamination in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The group Alaska Community Action on Toxics is concerned about the presence and level of water contamination in bodies of water around Alaska, specifically PFAS.
California
San Diego Files Lawsuit Over Toxic PFAS Chemicals in Water
The City of San Diego is suing more than 20 companies over decades-long water contamination from toxic chemical called PFAS.
Pico Rivera Moves Forward with Water Filtration Project
Pico Rivera is moving forward with its remedy to remove PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” from the city’s water supply with the installation of special filtration systems.
Colorado
Suncor’s Commerce City Refinery Responds to Water Pollution Complaints
The Suncor refinery in Commerce City responded to charges that “toxic levels” of PFAS chemicals were found in Sand Creek, adjacent to and downstream of the refinery.
Take-Back Program Aims to Remove PFAS Ski Wax from The Slopes
PFAS chemicals are used in some ski waxes, which can then leach into the environment and groundwater, and even make it into our bodies, possibly causing health issues.
Connecticut
How Contaminants Like PFAS and Microplastics are Being Tracked in Connecticut
Microbeads were banned in the U.S. in 2015, but tiny bits of plastic known as microplastics, and another manmade family of chemicals called PFAS, are turning up in our environment and in our bodies. A recent survey conducted by Connecticut Sea Grant identified both materials as “top” contaminants of emerging concern this year. This hour, we hear about efforts to track PFAS and microplastics in Connecticut.
Indiana
IDEM Testing Confirms “Forever Chemicals” in Some Public Water Systems
Final results of the first phase of statewide community water system testing confirmed the presence of PFAS chemicals in the treated drinking water of nearly a dozen Indiana communities.
Iowa
CCEE’s Joe Charbonnet Designs Communication Method for Identifying PFAS, the ‘Forever Chemicals’
Joe Charbonnet, Iowa State University Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering researcher and assistant professor, is creating a way for scientists around the world to communicate the characteristics of compounds they come across using one of the main PFAS identification methods – high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Maine
Maine Attorney General Plans to Sue Over PFAS Contamination
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said the state is preparing for a lawsuit against manufacturers of so-called forever chemicals.
Erin Brockovich Joins Fairfield PFAS Battle
Fairfield residents pursuing legal action after their exposure to forever chemicals known as PFAS now have a big-time endorsement. Environmental Activist Erin Brockovich visited for Friday night’s town hall meeting.
Mainers Warned Not to Eat PFAS-Contaminated Freshwater Fish
Public health officials say residents should sharply limit or forgo eating freshwater fish from seven Maine bodies of water because of dangerous levels of forever chemicals.
Maine Is First in The Nation to Ban Spreading of PFAS Sludge and Compost
Maine is the first state in the U.S. to ban the use of industrial and municipal sewage sludge as fertilizer. The Legislature passed LD 1911 April 15 and Gov. Janet Mills signed it into law April 20.
Maryland
MDE Issues Second Report on Sampling of Maryland Public Drinking Water Systems for PFAS
The Maryland Department of the Environment has released the results of the second phase of the agency’s sampling of public drinking water systems for a class of chemical compounds known as PFAS.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Attorney General Files Suit Against PFAS Manufacturers
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has filed suit against more than a dozen manufacturers of firefighting foams that contain PFAS chemicals that have been linked to a range of serious health problems.
State-Backed Testing Finds PFAS in Private Wells
Hazardous levels of PFAS have been found in a private well in West Tisbury following a testing program offered to the town through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection this past winter.
Michigan
Restrictions Placed on PFAS-Contaminated Land Next to Landfill
New restrictions have been put on county-owned land next to the Huron County Landfill that has been contaminated by PFAS.
Michigan State Police Complex Believed to be Source of Stormwater PFAS Contamination
WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) – The state is trying to figure out how potentially harmful chemicals are ending up in Delta Township’s water. Environmentalists believe the contamination is coming from the state secondary complex in Windsor Township. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy traced back to the Michigan State Police training facility, it is trying to figure out if it is still a problem.
New Hampshire
Lawmakers Close in on $25 Million for PFAS Remediation and New Regulations
Of the nine bills this session that aimed to address PFAS contamination in the state, three are still in play. One would put $25 million into a PFAS remediation fund, while the other two address how the chemicals are regulated in the air and before they enter wastewater treatment facilities.
New Mexico
New Mexico to Assist Clovis Dairy that Lost Thousands of PFAS-Tainted Cows
After euthanizing several thousand contaminated cows, Art Schaap is losing not only a once-thriving dairy farm but a place where he and his family have lived for a quarter-century. He has no choice, he said, because the polluted runoff from Cannon Air Force Base that tainted the groundwater, soil and his livestock with cancer-causing chemicals has left Highland Dairy in Clovis an empty shell.
New York
Clean Water Advocates Urge Hochul to Lower Proposed Levels for PFAS Notification/Cleanup
As the NYS Drinking Water Quality Council prepared to meet, advocates urged New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Department of Health (DOH) to lower proposed drinking water levels for 23 PFAS chemicals, so that whenever these PFAS are detected in drinking water, the public receives a letter in the mail about it.
North Carolina
Floor Waxing Could be an Important Source of PFAS Contamination, with Increased Occupational Health Risks for Workers
A study published earlier this year measured PFAS in dust and airborne particulate matter during professional floor stripping and waxing. After estimating PFAS emission rates generated from the process, researchers concluded that significantly higher levels of PFAS were present during floor waxing.
New Hanover-Area Well Owners are Finally Getting Testing Results. Three Have PFAS Contamination So Far
Nearly 5 years after the public found out Chemours was dumping PFAS compounds into the Cape Fear River, drinking water wells in the Cape Fear Region are finally getting tested for the chemicals. So far, three have tested with levels high enough for Chemours to begin providing drinking water.
