Your tap water may be a little healthier for you one day. The US Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced a finalized rule from the Biden administration requiring public water systems test for and reduce the levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.
PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because of the way they build up in the environment and people’s bodies.
About a year ago, the EPA announced plans for the first-ever national standard. As it rolls into effect over the next several years, it will require about 6% to 10% of the 66,000 public drinking water systems affected to reduce their levels of PFAS, the EPA estimates. All public water systems have three years to complete their initial monitoring for PFAS and must “implement solutions” within five years if PFAS are too high.
PFAS are chemicals in products and coatings that resist heat, so they’re commonly found in clothes, furniture, food containers and personal care products. They’re a concern, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because they don’t break down in the environment. So they move through soil, contaminate drinking water and build up in wildlife and animals — including most people in the US.
How PFAS impact health
Like most potentially harmful chemicals or elements in our environment, the concern is over prolonged exposure (years) or larger amounts of exposure that increases the risk of negative health effects.
Some health effects that may be linked to higher levels of PFAS include increased cholesterol, changes to the liver, increased risk of certain cancers, low birth weight, high blood pressure in pregnancy and even decreased vaccine response. They may also interfere with the body’s hormones and impact fertility.
Young children and those who are pregnant may be more susceptible to PFAS than the general population, as are some industrial workers whose jobs have them around certain chemicals. To check for water contamination in your area, you can use the Environmental Working Group’s ZIP code search feature.
The CDC notes that the health risks of humans exposed to lower levels of PFAS are uncertain and that finding a detectable level of it in a blood serum sample doesn’t mean you’ll develop health effects.
The agency also notes that US production of two types of PFAS — PFOA and PFOS — has declined since the early 2000s but that people may be exposed to different types of PFAS as they’re replaced.
Read more: That Old Nonstick Skillet May Be Unsafe. Here’s How to Tell
What will the drinking water rule do?
The new rule, which is the first legally enforceable national drinking water standard, will set a limit at 4 parts per trillion of the widely used and studied PFOA and PFOS, a level which is “lowest levels that are feasible for effective implementation,” the EPA said in a press release. Standards for PFAS called PFNA, PFHxS and HFPO-DA (also called “GenX Chemicals”) will be set at 10 parts per trillion, and there’s also a rule for mixing PFAS.
Water or utility systems will have to abide by these standards.
While some money has been allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states and territories pay for and implement testing, as the EPA outlined this week in its announcement, The New York Times reported water utilities are concerned about funding to comply with the standard.
Groups like the EWG have been calling for more federal regulation of PFAS levels for years and have proposed limits that are significantly lower than what’s currently set at the national level. However, states or cities may set their own levels and water filtration rules for PFAS.
