PFAS contamination (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
PFAs contamination of our waterways and drinking water
About PFAS
PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
PFAS is a binder in plastics and was previously requested by congress in the 70s that industry voluntarily move away from the use of PFAS and find alternatives because it is not healthy for people to ingest.
Now, decades later, there are over 1200 similar types PFAS which are also unhealthy chemicals used in plastics, textiles, and AFFF firefighting foam.
PFAS current healthy standard
The new regulations proposed by the EPA is 4 parts per trillion PFAS in Drinking water is considered healthy.
PFAS Current Technologies and Research
Our Senate Environment Committee has interviewed many municipal water leaders such as a North West Regional Water Authority and EPA scientists identifying what our current capabilities are and were we need to further research and lessen the cost of processes before investing in new water filtration systems.
Water Testing
PFAS testing at the new healthy standard of 4 parts per trillion costs 10,000 dollars to ship a sample to a lab and see how much PFAs is in the water at that rating.
Water Filtration
UV filtration -
Currently we have UV (Ultraviolet) filters that can burn off PFAS which cost 25 million dollars for one facility.
Filter cartridge -
Where the new filter cartridges become hazardous waste and most of our existing hazardous waste facilities cannot accept this type of waste into the hazardous waste facilities. Hazardous waste facilities would need to be upgraded to accept that type of waste as per of a plan to remove PFAS from our Drinking Water if we intend on using that type of filtration.
Land Grant college research
Part of the function of our Land Grant colleges are to research new technologies. In recent Drinking water committee meetings you can hear our senators request of our land grant colleges to research lessening the cost of water testing.
We ask academia to come up with new ways to test water. We can then build out more low cost water testing as part of a new higher water quality standard of our drinking water in the United States.
Paying for New Water filtration plants nationwide (2023)
We passed Congress passed a law in the 70s requiring funds to be taken out of everyone's water bills to pay for the replacement of water filtration systems in the future. This funding has already been collected and will not add to our deficient or effect our budget as we access this 55 billion dollars to make our drinking water safe again.
We have also allot funding from the 2023 bipartisan infrastructure act to supplement this initiative of removing PFAs from our drinking water. The same funding also is being used and has already been accesses for small remote water filtration plants where water quality may be effected by our development such as fracking, mining, new quarries, brownsfield sites, or PFAs contaminated sites.
Interview of a family effected by PFAS contaminated water
Delaware River Water Keeper - Interview with parent of child with brain cancer from drinking PFAS contaminated ground water which prompted the remediation of the ground water and a new in-tandem water filtration system to better remove PFAS from the well water used as the source water for Warminster, PA.
Scores of women gave birth to children with brain cancer. A local doctor saw a trend in brain cancer and asked "Were you exposed to chemicals?"
That is the only way you would have that type of cancer.
Willow grove air force base remediation in 2018
(AFFF) Firefighting Foam contaminated the soil and groundwater used as the source water for many Warminster, PA residents from 2 separate military bases, one being the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) which is now a Superfund site.
The AFFF Fire Fighting foam is used to put out chemical, fuel, and electrical fires at military bases and local firefighting companies.
Regular training with these chemicals exacerbated the problem by introducing large amounts of the chemical as unregulated surface water to the soil and inherently the ground water.
The EPA only regulates and monitors known industrial smoke stakes and water discharge from industrial processes by requesting the companies to report their sensor data monthly themselves allowing them to choose to pay a fine at the expense of human health and safety.
The EPA does not regulate surface water such as Windex, silly string, or PFAS fire fighting foam.
Current Events and Laws around PFAS usage and drinking water standards
This PFAS firefighting foam was recently added as a not safe for human consumption chemical to list of chemicals monitored by the EPA.
Fire stations and Military bases were instructed to not purchase any new AFFF Firefighting foam, but they can use their existing stock of AFFF until they get an alternative that is safer as it relates to the environmental impact to ground water and human health.
Note: This is the first chemical monitored by the EPA as unhealthy for drinking water.
The other chemicals are inherited as unsafe from other agencies where that list is only monitoring 90 known chemicals in our public drinking water. Before the EPA adding PFAs to this list by an act of congress, PFAS was not monitored by the EPA our our local drinking water filtration facilities.