EPA Issues New Drinking Water Health Advisory Levels for PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, and GenX
On June 15, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its issuance of lifetime drinking water health advisory levels (HALs) for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and its potassium salt (PFBS), and hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) dimer acid and its ammonium salt (commonly referred to as “GenX” chemicals).
As to PFOA and PFOS, EPA states in its Pre-Publication Notice that these interim health advisories supersede EPA’s 2016 HAL for PFOA and PFOS of 70 ppt. EPA explains in its “Questions and Answers” that it has issued these “interim” HALs to be in place until it publishes a final health advisory or maximum contaminant goal and National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for the substances.
Below are EPA’s new HALs:
| Substance | Health Advisory Level (parts per trillion or ppt) |
| PFOA | 0.004 (interim) |
| PFOS | 0.02 (interim) |
| PFBS | 2,000 (final) |
| GenX chemicals | 10 (final) |
Per EPA in its Pre-Publication Notice, HALs are not regulations and should not be construed as legally enforceable federal standards. EPA acknowledges on its “Questions and Answers” webpage that the interim PFOA and PFOS HALs are below the level of both detection and quantitation for currently available laboratory methods, as well the minimum reporting levels (MRLs) it established for UCMR 5 (4 ppt for both).
More information on EPA’s HALs is available at the following links:
- Fact Sheet for Communities
- Fact Sheet for Public Water Systems
- Technical Fact Sheet
- Interim Health Advisory – PFOA
- Interim Health Advisory – PFOS
Questions and Answers: Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA, PFOS, GenX Chemicals and PFBS