Understanding PFAS
What are PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances?
PFAS refers to a group of man-made chemicals. They are widely used in commercial and consumer products such as food packaging, water- and stain-repellent fabrics, nonstick products and firefighting foams. They are also commonly used in industrial processes and manufacturing. Because of their widespread use, these compounds are present in household and industrial waste, air emissions and wastewater discharges.
PFAS are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment and can build up, or bioaccumulate, in humans and animals.
What do I need to know about PFAS?
Most Americans have been exposed to PFAS. Scientists have identified ingestion through drinking water as the primary pathway for PFAS exposure in humans. Most standard municipal drinking water treatment systems are not built to filter out PFAS and until recently, testing labs were not able to detect them at lower levels.
Some PFAS can accumulate in the human body. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS have been linked to reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women; developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes; increased risk of some cancers; reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response; interference with the body’s natural hormones; and increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.
EPA: Human Health & Environmental Risks of PFAS
PFAS Limits in Drinking Water
On April 10, 2024, EPA announced the final drinking water standards or Maximum Contaminant Levels to limit six PFAS compounds in drinking water.
- PFOA 4.0ppt
- PFOS 4.0ppt
- GenX chemicals 10 ppt
- PFNA 10ppt
- PFHxS 10ppt
- The rule also regulates mixtures of GenX chemicals, PFNA, PFHxS and PFBS through the use of a Hazard Index calculation to determine if the combined levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk to human health.
Public water systems have five years to meet the new MCLs.
Final PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation details
DEQ Next Steps for Water Systems| Press Release
How is DEQ addressing PFAS?
Under the DEQ Action Strategy for PFAS, DEQ is taking a whole-of-department approach to protect communities by identifying, reducing, and remediating PFAS pollution.
Public Water Systems
DEQ has been working with public water systems to prepare for the proposed regulation and assess PFAS levels in drinking water systems across the state. DEQ is also utilizing federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help address PFAS contamination, including funding designated specifically for small, rural, and underserved communities.
Some public water systems in North Carolina are currently monitoring for PFAS voluntarily. In late 2022, DEQ performed three months of sampling at 50 municipal and county water systems identified in the 2019 PFAST Network study with PFOA/PFOS detections above the minimum reporting level indicated by the 2022 EPA interim health advisories. In 2023, DEQ staff sampled more than 530 additional small public water systems serving 25 residents or more. Those results have been provided to the water systems and are available here.
View DEQ Public Water System Sampling
DEQ is continuing to sample small systems across the state. DEQ recommends that public water systems share their PFAS results with customers. The federal rule includes monitoring and reporting requirements as well.
Private Wells
DEQ launched a pilot program under the Bernard Allen Emergency Drinking Water Fund to support North Carolina residents with PFAS contamination in their private water wells. Funding for treatment systems will be provided to eligible residents with PFAS contamination that equals or exceeds health advisory levels, on a scale based on household income. The program is meant to address PFAS contamination when there is no designated responsible party that provides alternate drinking water. The Bernard Allen program supports DEQ’s well sampling across the state and applications for the pilot treatment program will be provided to residents who meet the program criteria, as long as funding is available.
Learn more about the PFAS Treatment Assistance Program
Source Reduction
Beyond public water systems, DEQ has taken a number of actions to better identify PFAS sources and reduce emissions and discharges:
-
Requiring PFAS information from new facilities and industries;
-
Developing permit conditions as appropriate throughout the state;
-
Identifying and prioritizing locations where these substances may have been manufactured, used, discharged or disposed for additional assessment;
-
Adding permit conditions as appropriate to address PFAS air emissions or wastewater discharges and require disclosure of data and additional monitoring;
-
Conducting groundwater testing and additional monitoring in areas with known PFAS contamination;
-
Requiring all solid waste sanitary landfills to include PFAS analyses of all regular groundwater, surface water and leachate samples (letter distributed March 13, 2023);
DEQ continues to gather data to support setting regulatory standards and to provide technical assistance to facilities to reduce future PFAS pollution. DEQ is proposing state groundwater and surface water standards to the Environmental Management Commission, to complement the federal drinking water limits.
Frequently Asked Questions about PFAS
PFOA and PFOS are two of the most widely used and studied chemicals in the PFAS group. They have largely been replaced in the U.S. by other PFAS, but they persist in the environment.
On April 10, 2024, EPA announced final Maximum Contaminant Levels to limit six PFAS compounds in drinking water, including PFOA and PFOS. The Maximum Contaminant Level is set at 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and for PFOS. Public water systems have 5 years to meet these limits.
If you are a customer of a public water system, contact your water provider to find out whether they have sampled for PFAS and what steps they are taking to address PFAS. Some systems are voluntarily monitoring for PFAS. DEQ has also sampled 580 water systems and will continue to test systems to assess the impacts of PFAS across the state.
View DEQ PFAS Sampling of Public Water Systems
If you have a private well, consider having your water sampled by a certified lab. In most cases, private well owners are responsible for well sampling. The NC DHHS Filtration Options and Sampling Factsheet includes information on how to have your well sampled.
DEQ has launched a pilot program under the Bernard Allen Emergency Drinking Water Fund to support North Carolina residents with PFAS contamination in their private water wells. Funding for treatment systems will be provided to eligible residents with PFAS contamination that equals or exceeds health advisory levels, on a scale based on household income. The program is meant to address PFAS contamination when there is no designated responsible party that provides alternate drinking water.
Learn more about the PFAS Treatment Assistance Program
Note: if you are a resident of the Cape Fear River Basin, you may be eligible for well testing related to GenX contamination and other PFAS chemicals attributed to the Chemours facility. Please see the links below for more information:
Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, or Sampson counties
Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, or Pender counties
The first step is finding out the PFAS levels in your drinking water.
- If you have public water, contact your utility to find out whether they have sampled for PFAS and what steps they are taking to address PFAS.
- If you have a private well, consider having your water sampled by a certified lab.
If you are concerned about the level of PFAS in your drinking water, whether you are on a well or public water, you may consider adding filtration to reduce the amount of PFAS you consume. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has developed a list of options, from whole house or under sink systems to pitcher of fridge filters with information on their effectiveness.
NC DHHS Filtration Options and Sampling Factsheet
At this time, EPA is not recommending bottled water for communities based solely on concentrations of PFAS in drinking water that exceed the health advisory levels. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not established standards for PFAS in bottled water.
On April 10, 2024, EPA announced final Maximum Contaminant Levels to limit six PFAS compounds in drinking water.
- PFOA 4.0ppt
- PFOS 4.0ppt
- GenX chemicals 10 ppt
- PFNA 10ppt
- PFHxS 10ppt
- The rule also regulates mixtures of GenX chemicals, PFNA, PFHxS and PFBS through the use of a Hazard Index calculation to determine if the combined levels of these PFAS pose a potential risk to human health.
Public water systems have five years to meet the new MCLs.
For many PFAS compounds, there is not enough information yet to develop health advisories or regulatory limits.
These limits apply to public drinking water systems, but private well users can use the proposed MCLs as a decision-making tool on whether to reduce exposure by adding filtration or seeking public water connections where available.
Scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:
- Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
- Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
- Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
- Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
- Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
- Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity. (source)
Human studies have found associations between PFOA and/or PFOS exposure and effects on the immune system, the cardiovascular system, human development (e.g., decreased birth weight), and cancer.
If you are concerned about specific issues with your health, talk with your health care provider. Information about PFAS health effects for health care providers is available from NCDHHS and from the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Bernard Allen PFAS Treatment System Reimbursement Program
NC DHHS GenX and PFAS in Cape Fear River Basin
EPA PFAS Analytical Tool: https://echo.epa.gov/trends/pfas-tools contains location-specific information related to PFAS manufacture, release, and occurrence in the environment as well as facilities potentially handling PFAS.
EPA PFAS Information
EPA PFAS Explained
NC DHHS PFAS factsheet (updated July 2022)
NC DHHS GenX fact sheet (updated July 2022)
PFAS Water Testing and Filtration Resources factsheet (NC DHHS)
PFAS Clinician Memo: Guidance from NC DHHS for clinicians working with patients exposed to PFAS chemicals
GenX Contamination in Cape Fear River Basin
If you are a resident of the Cape Fear River Basin, you may be eligible for well testing related to contamination from GenX and other PFAS chemicals attributed to the Chemours facility. Please see the links below for more information:
DEQ Action Strategy for PFAS
DEQ is taking a whole-of-department approach to protect communities by identifying, reducing, and remediating PFAS pollution.