EPA recommends cleanup level for PFOS and PFOA in groundwater

Abstract

With a number of caveats, the US Environmental Protection Agency is recommending the cleanup of groundwater tainted with more than 70 parts per trillion of either of two widespread polyfluorinated chemicals. The EPA’s April 25 draft interim recommendations would apply only to groundwater that is a current or potential source of drinking water and would not have the legal force of regulations. They would also apply only in states that lack what the agency deems an “appropriate” drinking-water standard for the two chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorosulfonic acid (PFOS). The recommendations follow the EPA’s 2016 health advisory limit of 70 ppt for PFOS and PFOA, individually or combined, in drinking water. The two substances, which are no longer commercially produced in the US, contaminate groundwater across the nation and the world. In many areas, the pollution stems from military bases and airports that for years used firefighting foams containing