The new rule concerning polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS was announced yesterday. EPA established enforceable rules for six PFAS present in drinking water. The agency will give water supply companies five years to comply with near zero limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The agency estimates about 6-10% of the 66,000 public drinking water supply systems will be affected. EPA also announced the availability of $1 billion in new federal funding to help implement testing. The announcement came in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cape Fear River that was found by residents to be heavily polluted by PFAS from a nearby manufacturing facility in 2017. The river provides drinking water for 1 million people in the region.
These chemicals are considered to be carcinogenic and damaging to immune systems. They are long lasting in the environment and humans. Their use was pervasive in industry beginning in the 1940s to repeall water and oil and resist heat . PFAS is found in packaging, clothing, electronics, cookware and personal care products. This family of chemicals are popularly known as "forever chemicals".
The agency is also proposing two PFAS regulations under the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act.(RCRA). One would change the definition of "hazardous waste" as it applies to clean-ups at permitted facilities to include PFAS. The other would include multiple PFAS compounds as hazardous constituents in Appendix VIII. These rule changes will strengthen the protections for communities and drinking water supplies near the 1740 permitted hazardous waste facilities across the nation.