After being suppressed for almost 6 months because it would be a “public relations nightmare” for the U.S. Government and its Department of Defense, the ATSDR released its Draft Toxicological Profile for PFAS (“Perfluoroalkyls”) The study concludes that the “Minimum Risk Level” for PFOA and PFOS should be seven to 10 times lower than that used by EPA in setting its “Health Advisory” (HAL) limit of 70 ppt. This means that EPA’s HAL for those chemicals should be lowered to 7 ppt for PFOS and 11 ppt for PFOA.
The release of this report demonstrates that the DOD needs to completely reevaluate its policy of only providing treatment for water supplies contaminated above EPA’s 70 ppt limit. This has drastic implications for people all over the country, whose PFAS contamination is well into double digits, but below the “magic number” of 70 ppt which EPA and the DOD have claimed to be protective.
EPA’s Health Advisory Limit is effectively obsolete. Locally, Horsham, Warminster and Warrington Townships should all demand that a more protective standard be used, both for public and private water supplies.
The same goes for hundreds of communities across the U.S.
Link to the study:
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=1117&tid=237
Link to an article about its impact in Bucks and Montgomery County PA
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_top/486044602.html
