OEC Celebrates First-Ever National Standard to Limit PFAS in Drinking Water

Emily Bacha, Vice President of Public Affairs, April 10, 2024

For Immediate Release:
April 10, 2024

Contact:
Emily Bacha
media@theoec.org or 614-487-5837

Columbus, OH — Today, the U.S. EPA finalized the agency’s first National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) to limit the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in drinking water across the country. This standard will not only regulate the maximum amount of PFAS present in drinking water but will also set requirements for monitoring, public notification, and treatment of PFAS.

The following quote can be attributed, in whole or in part, to Melanie Houston, Managing Director of Water Policy for the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC):

“We commend the U.S. EPA and Biden-Harris administration for establishing this historic rule to monitor and establish Maximum Contaminant Levels for six different types of PFAS chemicals. Ohioans should not have to worry about drinking PFAS-contaminated water when they go to the tap. This is a crucial first step towards protecting public health and ensuring safe and clean drinking water for all Ohioans. We look forward to continuing to work with agency leaders to establish safeguards for the entire class of PFAS chemicals.”

BACKGROUND:

According to the new rule finalized by the U.S. EPA, public water systems will be required to monitor and treat for six types of PFAS chemicals. Those chemicals are:

PFOA and PFOS: These chemicals would be regulated as individual contaminants and at a level that public water systems could measure with certainty at 4 parts per trillion (ppt).
PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX Chemicals: These chemicals would be regulated as individual contaminants and at a level that public water systems could measure with certainty at 10 parts per trillion (ppt).
Mixtures containing two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS: These chemicals would be regulated as a mixture using the hazard index calculation, meaning that any combination of these chemicals would be measured together to determine their collective risk to drinking water.

The OEC first began working on PFAS in April 2018 when we submitted a petition to the agency urging them to regulate PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act. Since then, the OEC has consistently emphasized the importance of ensuring people are protected from these chemicals in their water and that PFAS is regulated as a class, instead of one by one. We’ve also advocated to the Ohio EPA since that time to both regulate and do testing to understand where PFAS is in Ohio.

Learn more about PFAS and the OEC’s work to protect Ohioans’ drinking water on our website.

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The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) is the state’s most comprehensive and effective environmental advocate for a healthier, more sustainable Ohio. The OEC develops and ensures the implementation of forward-thinking, science-based, pragmatic solutions to secure healthy air, land, and water for all who call Ohio home.