SGS PFAS Update XLV: PFAS News for Environmental Professionals

Throughout North America, awareness and action on issues related to PFAS continue to swell. This 45th edition of the SGS PFAS Update brings news from Canada as citizens become more concerned about the impact of PFAS, resulting in possible regulation updates. Meanwhile, throughout the United States, PFAS contamination is being uncovered in drinking water and groundwater, clams and oysters, and on college campuses and farms. As you’ll read, this results in more investigations, regulations, mitigation funding and lawsuits. It’s all here in this update for the environmental professional needing to understand the PFAS landscape.

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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

United States and Canada
Doctors Should Test Levels of PFAS in People at High Risk, Report Says

On Thursday, the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine strode into the fray with a 300-plus-page report providing detailed advice for clinicians on how to test, diagnose and treat the millions of Americans who may have been exposed to PFAS.

Canada Catching Up on Regulation of PFAS

As PFAS makes headlines, Canadians are becoming more interested and concerned about their long-term effects and, as a result, regulators in Canada are paying attention.

PFAS Exposure in Utero May Be Behind Rising Rates of Liver Disease in Kids, Study Finds
Harmful chemicals found in consumer and industrial products are contributing to rising rates of liver disease in children, a new study suggests.

Imported Canned Clams Recalled Due to High PFAS Levels

Bumble Bee Foods LLC issued a voluntary recall of smoked clams this week after high levels of toxic PFAS chemicals were found in cans imported from China. The recall only applies to 3.75-ounce cans of Bumble Bee Smoked Clams with the UPC Label 8660075234, which can be found under the bar code on the back of the package.

Arizona
Frisco Warns Residents of PFAS Levels Far Above New Health Advisory

Frisco’s water levels have been on Colorado’s radar as an issue for years but the latest adjustment on the levels the EPA finds ok for “forever chemicals” in water has shifted the goal posts for a team already working to fix the problem.

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.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Oysters in Biscayne Bay Pose Potential Health Concerns

Toxic chemicals found in oysters in Biscayne Bay, Marco Island and in Tampa Bay may pose serious health issues for people and wildlife, according to a study conducted by Florida International University’s Institute of Environmental Science.

Illinois
Forever Chemicals Found in Drinking Water Throughout Illinois

Something as simple as drinking tap water is exposing millions of Illinoisans to toxic chemicals that build up in human blood, cause cancer and other diseases and take years to leave the body.

Indiana
Contractors Detect Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Groundwater at Camp Atterbury
Camp Atterbury has confirmed that contractors have detected toxic “forever chemicals” linked tocancer, low birth weight and an array of other health problems in the groundwater on the training base near Edinburgh.

Kansas
EPA Awards $25K Research Grant to University of Missouri Students to Address PFAS in Drinking Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $25,000 to University of Missouri engineering sustainability students to design, fabricate, and test a point-of-use drinking water treatment system that targets contamination from PFAS.

Maine
Latest Impact of PFAS Contamination: Rising Sewer Rates

The looming cost to homeowners in public sewer districts is the latest impact of an expanding crisis that has contaminated agricultural fields and drinking wells, closed farms and left some fish and game unsafe to eat.

‘There are No Tears Left’ Arundel Dairy Farmer Devastated by PFAS Fights for State Help

state income replacement program for Maine farms struggling with financial losses caused by contamination from toxic chemicals, known as PFAS, is expected to be rolled out in a few weeks. But the owner of a York County farm worries about falling through the cracks.

Massachusetts
Report: A Mass. Composting Facility Likely Spread Significant Amounts of ‘Forever Chemicals’

Over 200 properties near an organic composting facility in Westminster may have water contaminated with large amounts of so-called “forever chemicals,” toxic compounds that never entirely break down in the natural environment, according to a Boston Globe report.

Michigan
Stay Away from Foam When Swimming, State Health Dept. Advises
Michigan residents are reminded to avoid foam on waterbodies like lakes, rivers and streams as temperatures warm to reduce exposure to so-called “forever chemicals” called PFAS.

New Hampshire
City Still Finding Leaching at Lebanon Landfill
The most recent round of water quality testing at the Lebanon landfill continued to detect levels of so-called “forever chemicals” that have been linked to certain cancers, childhood developmental problems and other health effects.

New York
High Level of Man-Made Chemical Found in Newburgh Residents May Link To Past Contamination

A new report shows some Newburgh residents have levels of a toxic, so-called forever chemical in their blood at a rate three times higher than the national average, according to results of a study by federal health agencies.

North Carolina
Grants, Outsourced Testing for PFAS Features of State Budget

The legislature’s proposed $27.9 billion budget approved Friday features provisions for addressing contamination of drinking water by synthetic chemical compounds.

Oregon
Oregon Drinking Water Systems Mostly Free from PFAS Contamination
Oregon has just finished testing 140 drinking water systems across the state for PFAS. The results: Only five small systems had detectable levels of PFAS, and none exceeded the state’s health advisory level.

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Sues 18 Companies Over PFAS Contamination
The state’s legal battle against PFAS contamination is expanding. Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul are taking legal action against more companies for contamination from so-called “forever chemicals” around the state.

More Counties are Asking Voters Whether Wisconsin Should Establish a Right to Clean Water
A growing number of counties are asking voters whether the state should establish a right to clean water.

Wausau Could Soon Have Some of the Best Water in The Country, Thanks To ‘Forever Chemical’ Filters
After the installation of a new water treatment system to address “forever chemicals,” Wausau will likely have some of the best drinking water in the country.

Dane County PFAS Lawsuit Moved to Federal Court
Dane County’s efforts to recover the cost of cleaning up toxic forever chemicals used in firefighting foam have been combined with hundreds of similar cases in federal courts.

Here’s Where Testing Has Located ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Fish Caught in Wisconsin Waters
The state Department of Natural Resources has issued a number of notices over the last several years for anglers to limit their consumption of some fish caught in certain water bodies due to high levels of toxic “forever chemicals.”