In recent years, many communities across New York State discovered their drinking water sources are contaminated with harmful PFAS chemicals. PFAS are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are very persistent, meaning they build up in our bodies and don’t break down in the environment. New York State has taken some important steps to address PFAS, however, new science indicates that we must do more in order to protect public health from this growing threat!
What is PFAS?
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products for many decades, due to their non-stick, grease-resistant and waterproof properties. PFAS is used in cookware, packaging, clothing, furniture, adhesives, paint, firefighting foam, artificial turf, and other products. According to the U.S. EPA, there are 3,500 industrial sites across New York State that may be handling or using PFAS chemicals.
PFAS Pollutes our Environment and Drinking Water
Due to widespread use of PFAS chemicals in numerous products and industries, PFAS chemicals have become ubiquitous in the environment, including our soil, air, and drinking water. Testing has revealed PFAS in water sources in dozens of communities across New York State, from Western New York to Long Island.
PFAS Threatens our Health
Studies show that human exposure to PFAS is widespread and that nearly all people in the United States have some PFAS compounds in their blood. Exposure to PFAS can lead to higher rates of kidney and testicular cancer, higher cholesterol levels, thyroid problems, adverse developmental effects and decreased immune response in children, and other adverse health impacts.
EPA Indicates That There is No Safe Level of Exposure to PFAS
In 2022, based on a growing body of new science, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its drinking water health advisory for two types of PFAS chemicals, PFOS and PFOA. Drinking water health advisories indicate the amount of a chemical in drinking water that is expected to cause adverse health impacts. The EPA significantly reduced the health advisory from 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for both PFOA and PFOS down to a mere .004 ppt for PFOA and .02 ppt for PFOS. This means that there is essentially no safe level of exposure to these chemicals in our drinking water!
EPA Proposes Strong National Drinking Water Standards
In 2023, the U.S. EPA proposed the first nationwide enforceable limits on the amount of six highly toxic PFAS chemicals allowed in drinking water. For PFOA and PFOS, EPA proposed individual drinking water limits (known as Maximum Contaminant Levels or MCLs) of 4 ppt per chemical. For the other four PFAS (PFNA, PFBS, PFHxS, and GenX), EPA proposed an enforceable limit designed to address those chemicals’ combined effects as a mixture. While we want to ultimately eliminate PFAS in drinking water, EPA’s proposed standards represent the strongest standards that are currently technically feasible.
In 2020, New York State set MCL’s of 10 ppt for both PFOA and PFOS. While the standards were among the strongest of any state in the nation at the time, new science is clearly demonstrating that we must do more to protect clean drinking water by adopting EPA’s proposed standards. Adopting these drinking water standards will protect drinking water in New York, Connecticut, and throughout the nation and prevent thousands of premature deaths. CCE continues to advocate that EPA adopt their proposed standards as soon as possible.
Interactive Long Island Map: Is there PFAS in Your Water?
In 2023, CCE compiled data from every Long Island water district and created an interactive map of PFAS levels in drinking water. This analysis has found that:
450,000+ Long Islanders (out of 2.7 million served by public water) have drinking water below the detection levels of 2 ppt for PFAS chemicals.
570,000+ Long Islanders’ drinking water exceeds the current standard of 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS.
1.7+ million Long Islanders’ drinking water with PFOA/PFOS between 2ppt and 10ppt.
