EPA Issues New Drinking Water Health Advisories: See Virginia Impacts

VIRGINIA — Human-made “forever chemicals” found in water supplies across the country, including in Virgina, are more dangerous than previously thought, and local utilities should install filters to remove them or at least tell customers how dangerous they are, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are known as “forever chemicals” because of their durability in high heat and water, which means they remain in the environment for years without breaking down. They’re found in a range of food and consumer products, and have been linked to infertility, thyroid problems and several types of cancer.

No state is untouched by PFAS contamination, according to a map compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization sometimes criticized for exaggerating certain toxicity risks. But a growing body of scholarly and government research backs the assertion of both the EPA and EWG that even at low levels currently, these chemicals can cause harm over a person’s lifetime.

The map released by EWG showed numerous Virginia and several military sites that were identified as being at risk. Here's a sampling:

• Washington County Service Authority
• Henrico County, Virginia (Richmond International Airport)
• Richmond, Virginia
• Yorktown, Virginia (NWS Yorktown)
• Chesapeake, Virginia (Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress)
• Norfolk, Virginia (NSAHR Northwest)
• Portsmouth, Virginia (CHESAPEAKE VA ST JULIEN CREEK)
• Virginia Beach, Virginia (Naval Air Station Oceana)

The best thing people can do right now is install one of several commercially available filters, but they need to make sure the filter removes PFAS.

Melanie Benesh, legislative attorney for the EWG, told The Washington Post the EPA’s advisory “should set off alarm bells for consumers and regulators.”

“These proposed advisory levels demonstrate that we must move much faster to dramatically reduce exposures to these toxic chemicals,” Benesh said.

Communities with PFAS contamination may be eligible for funding under a $1 billion grant program included in the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure package approved by Congress last year.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Office of Drinking Water said it is working closely with water utility providers to monitor the water that is provided to Virginia residents.

Last year, Attorney General Mark R. Herring and 19 other attorneys general sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, urging it to require public water systems to monitor for these “forever” chemicals, arguing that it would provide valuable data about the occurrence of PFAS contamination in public water supplies around the country.

“High levels of these ‘forever chemicals’ in public water supplies can have long-lasting negative effects on communities and the people living in them, especially in areas surrounding military bases and installations,” Herring said.

“Virginia is home to many military bases, which means that these communities are even more susceptible to having these dangerous chemicals in their drinking water. It’s so important to ensure that all Virginians have access to clean, healthy drinking water, which is why I’m calling on the EPA to more closely monitor PFAS levels in public water supplies," he continued.

In October 2020, Herring also urged Congressional leadership to require the Department of Defense to protect service members from contamination by “forever” chemicals or PFAS. Across the country, PFAS contamination is most often associated with military bases, firefighting training centers, civilian airports and industrial facilities.

U.S. manufacturers have phased out PFOA and PFOS, two compounds found in the cluster of forever chemicals widely used in nonstick cookware, moisture-repellent fabrics and flame-retardant equipment. A few uses remain, and they’re ubiquitous in the environment, having accumulated since the 1940s, National Public Radio reported.

Even at levels so low they can’t be detected in drinking water, these compounds pose a health risk, the EPA said in the revised advisory. The agency lowered the allowable limits of these two compounds, immediately drawing fire from the chemical industry

The American Chemical Council, which represents PFAS producers such as 3M and Dupont, said Wednesday the EPA’s new standards “will have sweeping implications” on public policy, and “cannot be achieved with existing treatment technology and, in fact, are below levels that can be reliably detected using existing EPA methods.”

Further, the industry group questioned the science behind the revised drinking water health advisory, saying it should have been delayed until the agency’s own Science Advisory Board could review dramatically reduced toxicity levels that are “3,000 to 17,000 times lower” than those set in 2016.
“Getting the science right is of critical importance,” the American Chemical Council said in a statement.

Health advocates say the problem can’t be overstated. Forever chemicals have already prompted officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan to issue advisories against eating certain fish caught in Lake Superior.