Bill > S3178

Introduced Session

This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct assessments on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Specifically, the bill would require the DEP to conduct an annual assessment of PFASs that are unregulated at the time of the assessment, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for additional PFASs. The bill would also require the DEP to conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight. The bill would require the DEP to provide a written report containing the findings of each assessment to the Governor and the Legislature, and to post the report on its website. PFAS are man-made chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms bonded to a chain of carbon atoms. Since the 1930s, PFAS have been widely used in countless consumer products because they repel oil, water, and grease. The carbon-fluorine bond that forms PFAS is one of the strongest chemical bonds found in nature and does not break down under typical environmental conditions. As a result, the presence of PFAS in the environment is widespread. There are over 12,000 different types of PFAS, and new types are continually being developed and used in commerce. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were first developed in the 1940's and are the two most commonly found PFAS in the environment and are also the two most studied and regulated PFAS. In 2018, the DEP adopted amendments to its Safe Drinking Water Act regulations to establish drinking water standards for another common PFAS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), at a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 13 parts per trillion. In 2020, the DEP adopted additional drinking water standards for PFOA at a MCL of 14 parts per trillion and for PFOS at a MCL of 13 parts per trillion.

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Linda Greenstein (D)*,  Bob Smith (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 10/03/2022)

Official Document