By: Nichole Fandino and Jennifer Novak
During World War II, the "Better Living through Chemistry" movement introduced us to PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These man-made chemicals have an exceptionally strong carbon-fluorine bond that makes them nearly impossible to break down. This sets them apart from other chemicals that can degrade over time.
The Ubiquity of PFAS
PFAS are everywhere. They’ve been used in consumer products and industrial processes since the 1950s because they resist heat, grease, and water. In today's world, virtually everyone has used and been exposed to products containing PFAS. For example:
- Cosmetics: PFAS are common in long-lasting or waterproof makeup products like mascara. PFAS ingredients are often added to cosmetics to provide a sheen to the skin or improve the texture of a product, making it easier or more enjoyable to use.
- Cell Phones: PFAS are used in the coatings on screens to resist fingerprints.
- Wall Paint: PFAS make the paint tough and water-resistant. A study at Duke University found PFAS in six of 10 popular paint brands sampled.
- Carpets: Up to 90% of carpets on the market have detectable levels of PFAS, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
- Other Items: Guitar strings (provides stretchiness and resilience), candy wrappers (prevents candy from sticking to the plastic), microwave popcorn bags (makes the paper non-stick), dishwasher and laundry detergent (breaks down grease), raincoats and umbrellas (repels water, oil and dirt), and dental floss (helps glide better).
The Health Effects: What We Know and Don't Know
We’re still learning about the health effects of PFAS, but most people in the U.S. have PFAS in their blood due to exposure from products and drinking water. Among the questions that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other researchers seek to answer are:
- How to manage and dispose of PFAS
- How to remove PFAS from drinking water
- How harmful PFAS are to people and the environment
- How to better and more efficiently detect and measure PFAS in our air, water, soil, and fish and wildlife
- How many people are exposed to PFAS
Some studies suggest PFAS can interfere with the immune system and hormones, affect the reproductive system, increase cancer risks, and impact childhood development. But since PFAS are so common, it’s hard to study their effects.
Regulatory and Remedial Efforts
After years of concern, EPA has now established some of the lowest cleanup levels of any groundwater contaminants — fewer than 10 parts per trillion in some cases or the equivalent to one-half drop in an Olympic pool – but only for a few types of PFAS. Science is behind where we need it to be. Commercial environmental laboratories have only recently evolved their equipment and methods to detect PFAS at these concentrations. And, most technologies and approaches cannot yet achieve cleanup levels for PFAS as they do for other chemicals.
The good news is that under a new EPA rule, finding out if your drinking water contains PFAS will be easier than ever before. It requires public drinking water systems nationwide to test their water for several PFAS compounds and act if levels of those chemicals rise above prescribed limits. The EPA estimates that between 6 and 10 percent of the 66,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. will find PFAS once they start testing. Utilities have five years to comply with the new rule. What regulatory agencies do with this information, and how long the response will take, it still up for debate.
Conclusion
PFAS is a growing issue, which means that state and federal agencies will continue to issue orders for property owners and businesses to sample for these chemicals. Permits and other clean-up orders will begin including more stringent clean-up goals. And we are likely to see continued study of less-common types of PFAS, which will eventually put more properties and products brought under the regulatory umbrella.
While the EPA’s actions are a long time coming, they are only the beginning. Watch this space for continued updates and discussions of how EPA and the State of California will address PFAS in the future.