New EPA PFAS Advisories: What Now? WEF Offers Advice

The U.S. EPA’s new interim drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have water utility leaders asking: What should we do in response? The Water Environment Federation is offering advice on its website at www.wef.org/pfas. The advisories are much stricter than the previous levels “and likely mean hundreds, if not thousands, of drinking water systems nationwide will be affected,” according to WEF. While releasing the advisories, the EPA announced up to $5 billion in grants to help communities prepare for and deal with PFAS. The EPA advisories most significantly affect two PFAS chemicals: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Since