New Jersey Challenges Illustrate Hurdles States Face With PFC Cleanups

摘要

A lack of clear federal regulatory authority, funding and remediation standards are among the obstacles New Jersey is facing in pursuing potentially responsible party (PRP) cleanups of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), one state official explained recently, illustrating the hurdles other states that are just becoming aware of such pollution may face. PFCs are emerging contaminants that are gaining attention among regulators as a drinking water pollutant, particularly in the aftermath of drinking water health advisories on two PFCs that EPA issued in May. The advisories for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) significantly lowered the concentration which the agency says are safe levels of the chemicals. Specifically, it set lifetime exposure health advisory levels at 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for each chemical, and also recommended that the combined concentrations of PFOA and PFOS, if found together in drinking water, not exceed 70 ppt.