Pennsylvania Pursues PFAS

 At the Bay Journal, Pennsylvania to crack down on 'forever chemicals' in streams and rivers

After a statewide survey showed that 76% of 161 tested rivers and streams were contaminated to some extent with PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said it will set safety thresholds for the chemicals in surface waters.

PFAS is the shorthand term for per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of about 9,000 chemicals widely used in consumer products, from nonstick cookware and stain-resistance products to water-repellent clothing and even food packaging.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that exposure to some PFAS pose health risks. Some studies on animals and humans have linked varying levels of exposure with harm to the immune system, disruptions in reproductive and fetal development, hormone disruption and increased risk of cancer.

Ten states, including Pennsylvania, have set safety limits for levels of PFAS in drinking water.

But until now, only Michigan, Minnesota and Florida have adopted thresholds for the chemicals in surface water. A study by a Vermont state agency warned that setting mandatory limits on PFAS in surface water is “logistically difficult, would take a long time and be very expensive.”

Pennsylvania’s DEP said it would ramp up monitoring of waters where the chemicals were found and would require some wastewater treatment plants to monitor for PFAS. The agency said the standards for PFAS in streams and rivers would mandate limits on known discharges through industrial discharge permits.

A fish consumption advisory was issued for one stream, Neshaminy Creek in the Delaware River watershed, as a result of the study.

The water samples, collected by DEP in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, were tested for 33 different chemicals.

Researchers said results pointed to several likely sources of contamination.

Electronics manufacturing, wastewater treatment plants and developed areas with stormwater runoff appeared to be top sources in urban areas.

“This is the first statewide study that associates electronics manufacturing as a source of PFAS in streams, which is likely an underrecognized but significant source of PFAS contamination,” said Sara Breitmeyer, a USGS chemist and lead author of the study. “Our study contributes new information on PFAS sources to surface water in Pennsylvania, which will help regulatory agencies address the growing concerns of PFAS’s ecological and human health impacts across the state.”

In some rural areas, DEP said, the chemicals may have come from natural gas fracking operations. The fluids and foams used for drilling and hydraulic fracturing of gas wells can contain PFAS, the study points out. In towns with combined sewage systems, heavy rain can cause stormwater and wastewater to mingle. If the stormwater runoff contains PFAS, it could then enter the wastewater stream, too, and become part of the discharge from treatment plants into local waters.

“To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first description of PFAS associations with the local catchment sewer infrastructure in rural oil and gas development regions,” the study concludes.

Runoff from farmland may also be contributing, it says.

“This study has expanded our understanding and will assist in determining what steps need to be taken in addressing issues associated with this emerging contaminant,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. “Our findings have already helped and will continue to guide DEP’s actions regarding where to focus resources on identifying, tracking and addressing potential sources of PFAS contamination.”