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ARTICLE · 09 DECEMBER 2022

Prioritizing PFAS: The Latest EPA, State, And Global Efforts To Regulate PFAS In Drinking Water

Winston Taylor
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On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new drinking water Health Advisories Levels (HALs) for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...

United StatesEnvironment
Emily N. Kath
Emily N. Kath
Madalyn G. Brown
Madalyn G. Brown
Sam Falcon Trimbach
Sam Falcon Trimbach

On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new drinking water Health Advisories Levels (HALs) for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as part of its PFAS Strategic Roadmap.

HALs provide information on a contaminant that may cause negative human health effects and is known or anticipated to occur in drinking water. HALs are EPA's recommendations for the concentrations of such drinking water contaminants at which adverse health effects are not anticipated to occur over specific exposure durations, such as one-day, 10 days or a lifetime. HALs are not legally enforceable standards.

The new HALs announced by EPA in June 2022 apply to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), GenX, and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS). The HALs are 0.004 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA, 0.02 ppt for PFOS, 10 ppt for GenX chemicals, and 2,000 ppt for PFBS. These HALs are significantly more stringent than the

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