Environmental engineers and regulators in Missouri are awaiting multiple new federal rules in 2024 related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Once the PFAS regulations are finalized, they could change the way these substances are dealt with in the state.
鈥淧FAS is one of those things that has been basically changing on almost a daily basis for the last year or two, and there鈥檚 still a lot of unknowns,鈥� said Eric Medlock, an environmental program manager with Missouri鈥檚 Department of Natural Resources.
PFAS are sometimes called 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� because they are extremely stable in the environment. There are thousands of manufactured chemicals that are PFAS, and they have been used since the 1940s in products like paper, packaging and waterproof clothes. They have also been found in humans, animals and the environment all over the world.
Exposure to some types of PFAS has been shown to cause health issues including immune issues and increased risks for some cancers, but there is still a lot that scientists are learning. The Environmental Protection Agency has where it lays out 鈥渨hat we don鈥檛 fully understand yet,鈥� including how harmful PFAS are, how to remove them from drinking water and how to better measure PFAS in the environment.
As the science on exposure and effects of PFAS evolves, regulations related to the chemicals are also changing. One key area that will see new regulation in 2024 is drinking water. The EPA that would set standards for six PFAS in drinking water and require public water systems to monitor for these substances, notify the public of levels and clean up water with levels that are too high.
That rule is expected to be finalized in the next few months, but it likely won鈥檛 become a state-level regulation until 2027.
鈥淓ven if EPA comes out with a final rule this year, there's a period of time where the states have to put those regulations in place,鈥� Medlock said.
In the meantime, drinking water providers in Missouri are still monitoring for PFAS. In the , 12 providers had levels above 鈥渉ealth advisory鈥� standards. There is funding available for remediation from the American Rescue Plan Act and from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, but without the final EPA rule, drinking water providers in Missouri aren鈥檛 yet required to remediate the problem.
But Medlock said his agency encourages the providers to start that process, 鈥渟o that they can bring the levels down for their customers.鈥�
Another potential change is related to Superfund laws. It would add two PFAS to the list of 鈥渉azardous substances鈥� in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which could ultimately mean new Superfund sites across the country, including Missouri, because of PFAS contamination.
Wastewater management is also an evolving area for PFAS. Entities like the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District are currently putting monitoring systems in place to find out which industries or businesses have higher levels of PFAS in their waste, said Jay Hoskins, the district鈥檚 assistant director for environmental compliance.
鈥淭he problem we have is that you can't manage what you can't measure,鈥� Hoskins said. 鈥淭hat's an old saying that's really true in this case.鈥�
Hoskins said one problem his industry is facing is a lack of analytical methods from the EPA, which some laws require to enforce environmental regulations on industries. That鈥檚 also important because testing is expensive, so Hoskins wants to make sure he is spending money on methods that are approved.
鈥淯ntil we have that, we can do monitoring to get an estimate of what's out there,鈥� Hoskins said. 鈥淏ut until we have those approved methods, we're at a point where we can't really do much more than that.鈥�
There are states that are not waiting for federal guidance, including Illinois. The state has to dispose of PFAS, and its attorney general has against companies producing PFAS. In the gap before federal action, organizations like the Sierra Club are calling on states to do more to regulate these chemicals, said Sonya Lunder, the organization鈥檚 senior toxics policy adviser.
鈥淲e have seen states move more quickly than the federal government to look at pollution hotspots and to require cleanup and to even set drinking water limits that are state based,鈥� Lunder said. 鈥淎nd we applaud that those actions will keep more of the chemicals out of the environment. They'll keep people who live in that state healthier.鈥�
