New Jersey announces stringent MCLs for PFOA and PFOS

June 2, 2020

AFFIRMING NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ROLE, NEW JERSEY PUBLISHES FORMAL STRINGENT DRINKING WATER STANDARDS FOR PFOA AND PFOS

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection today officially published its adoption of stringent, health-based drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment and have been linked to various health problems in people.

Under rules published today in the New Jersey Register, the DEP formally established maximum contaminant levels, or MCLs, of 14 parts per trillion for PFOA and 13 parts per trillion for PFOS. The rules also add these chemicals to the state’s list of hazardous substances and sets these levels as formal groundwater quality standards for the purposes of site remediation activities and regulated discharges to groundwater. To view the rule adoption, visit www.nj.gov/dep/rules/.

“Safe drinking water is a top priority for the Murphy Administration,” said Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. “With the adoption of these standards, New Jersey continues to lead the nation in protecting public health and the environment from these chemicals, which have been detected at varying levels across the state. New Jersey’s water systems have worked voluntarily and productively with us over the years, taking steps to protect the public when these chemicals have been detected. By adopting formal standards, we are putting in place a clear regulatory framework that will ensure consistency in monitoring, public notification and treatment across the state.”

Read the full press release here.