North Carolina’s environmental regulatory agency wants your thoughts on whether the state should revise a rule to effectively adopt federal drinking water standards for a handful of PFAS.
The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources Public Water Supply Section has proposed the state adopt and codify National Primary Drinking Water standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
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PFAS are a group of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in manufacturing. They are used to produce commercial and consumer goods such as food packaging, nonstick products, firefighting foams and water- and stain-repellent fabrics.
Research is ongoing to understand the potential human health effects of PFAS, but studies indicate they can lead to weakened immune function, various types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and decreased liver and kidney function.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last April established maximum contaminant levels, or MCLs, to limit six chemical compounds in drinking water supplied by public water systems.
The drinking water standards limit PFOA and PFOS to 4.0 parts per trillion, or PPT. A limit of 10 ppt were established for GenX, PFNA and PFHxS.
Federal regulation also limits mixtures of GenX, PFNA, PFHxS and PFBS.
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Public water systems must meet the federal standards by 2029.
DEQ will accept public comments on the proposed rule change Dec. 16 – Feb. 14, 2025. Comments may be mailed to Jay Frick, Division of Water Resources, Public Water Supply Section, 1634 Mail Service Center 27699-1634.
Comments may also be emailed to jay.frick@deq.nc.gov.
The department will hold a public hearing at 1 p.m. Jan. 7 in the ground floor hearing room of the Archdale Building, 512 North Salisbury St., Raleigh.
The Commission for Public Health will make a decision on the proposed rule change after the comment period closes.
Read more about the rule’s regulatory impact analysis.
