PFAS

On June 15, 2022, EPA issued new lifetime health advisories for four PFAS compounds.  The advisory publishes a level for each compound below which no adverse health effects are anticipated based on the best available science.  The new advisories are as follows:

PFOS - 0.02 parts per trillion.  This compound is regularly found in our water.  Over the past several years it has averaged 3.1 parts per trillion with a maximum of 7.2 parts per trillion.

PFOA - 0.004 parts per trillion.  This compound is also found in our water on a routine basis.  It has averaged 5.5 parts per trillion with a maximum of 13.6 parts per trillion.

PFBS - 2000 parts per trillion.  Also routinely found in our water with an average concentration of 2.0 parts per trillion.

GenX (HFPO-DA) - 10 parts per trillion.  This compound has not been detected in our water.

EPA's previous advisory for PFOS/PFOA was 70 parts per trillion, individually and combined so the new advisory levels are a very dramatic change.  The detection limit for these four compounds is approximately 1.7 parts per trillion.  The new PFOS/PFOA levels are far below our current ability to detect.

This has been a moving target but has decreased over the last several years.  The first testing for PFAs was done by the USEPA as part of their Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule #3 (UCMR3).  From 2013-2015, they tested a cross section of public water supplies accross the country to see how common PFAS is in drinking water.  Topsfield was selected to participate in the study and both of our sources were tested twice during 2014.  No PFAS compounds were detected.

As a result of the UCMR3 tests and emerging scientific evidence, USEPA created a health advisory in 2016 for two chemicals - PFOA & PFOS.  The combined total of these compounds shouldn't exceed 70 parts per trillion (ppt).  MassDEP announced in January 2019 that they intended to regulate PFAS and published draft regualtions in October of 2019.  The proposed regulations went through a typical review process and public comment period and went into effect on October 1, 2020.