Since the EPA asked public drinking water suppliers nationwide to start testing for a number of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in 2012, the awareness of and demand for PFAS testing and action has been growing among private citizens, manufacturers, and various agencies to determine whether PFASs are present in water, soil, raw materials, and consumer products. The current EPA testing method only covers 14 of the hundreds of PFAS compounds that are known, and only addresses drinking water. This leaves a large gap in data on the presence of PFASs in other key areas, such as other types of water, consumer products, soil, or human tissue.

The EPA has formed a workgroup to determine the best assessment method for PFAS chemicals, which plans to release groundwater guidance later this year. In the meantime, to meet the growing demand for PFAS testing, private labs are developing their own testing processes and analyzing about 30 compounds in drinking water as well as in soil and plastics.

According to a senior chemist for the U.S. Navy, “there is a vacuum right now” in terms of a clear EPA-approved sampling or analysis procedure. The Department of Defense is especially interested in testing other types of water sources for PFASs given that one major source of PFASs is aqueous film-forming foam, which can seep into soil and groundwater after it is used to put out fires on aircrafts and ships. There are currently at least 125 potential sites where contamination is likely, resulting in approximately $2 billion in PFAS clean-up costs.

[Source: Bloomberg BNA]