EPA Proposes PFAS National Drinking Water Standard and Resources to Protect Residents of Puerto Rico from Chemical Exposures

Several months ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the nation’s first-ever national drinking water standard for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The agency reports that through this action, it is taking a major step towards protecting public health from PFAS pollution by proposing to establish legally enforceable levels for six PFAS known to occur in drinking water.

EPA describes PFAS as a group of man-made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, GenX and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are persistent in the environment and in the human body – which means they don’t break down easily and can accumulate over time.

According to the EPA announcement, the proposal, if finalized, would regulate PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants, and will regulate four other PFAS – PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals – as a mixture.

• PFOA and PFOS: EPA is proposing to regulate PFOA and PFOS at a level they can be reliably measured at 4 parts per trillion.
• PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and GenX Chemicals: EPA is proposing a regulation to limit any mixture containing one or more of PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS and/or GenX Chemicals. For these PFAS, water systems would use an established approach called a hazard index calculation, defined in the proposed rule, to determine if the combined levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk.

“There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to a variety of adverse human health effects according to the EPA,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “This could occur not only by drinking contaminated water, but also from eating contaminated foods and even breathing air in facilities that manufacture goods made with these chemicals. To help protect against exposure to PFAS in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean, the environmental and industrial hygiene professionals at Zimmetry offer testing, consulting and monitoring services for PFAS and many other chemical contaminants. These services are available to help companies, water utilities and regulatory agencies identify PFAS exposure risks and comply with health and safety regulations.”

Several years ago, Zimmetry sponsored an educational video about PFAS and potential exposure risks that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/skLIprCGeX4

To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their environmental, industrial hygiene, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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