PFAS Playbook

On July 22, the state of California unveiled for public review its draft public health goals (PHGs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), two of the most widely studied types of PFAS. As noted in the goals, these two particular compounds have been used in consumer products and industrial settings for the last half-century. Because of their prevalence, California now proposes establishing a limit of PFOA at 7 parts per quadrillion in drinking water, and 1 part per trillion for PFOS. Even if finalized, California’s PHGs are not directly ...

Three northeastern states are among those that have recently taken legislative action to address PFAS in consumer products and the environment. Maryland recently banned 13 different PFAS and their salts from being sold in cosmetic products within the state. Vermont recently passed an even stricter law prohibiting the sale of several categories of commercial products containing PFAS. Finally, Maine has established a limit of 20 parts per trillion for six types of PFAS found in drinking water, well below EPA’s 70 parts per trillion advisory level for PFOS and PFOA, while also ...