![]() He also says his research into how to destroy these chemicals may soon be put to good use by some water utilities looking for mitigation solutions. While the proposed limits are not yet final and will be open to a public comment period before being approved and put into effect, Higgins says many water systems are already beginning to make plans on how they will mitigate higher PFAS levels from their water supplies. We are taking the time to complete a careful examination of this draft rule to guide our next steps." Because of these factors, the draft regulatory limits are higher than the health advisory. "The EPA's draft regulatory limits for drinking water consider health effects, technical feasibility and a cost-benefit analysis. This rule will strengthen the consistent and proactive actions Colorado has already taken to protect the public from these chemicals since 2016 when we first learned about PFAS contamination in Colorado," Falco said. "The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recognizes the Environmental Protection Agency's recent action as an important step to help reduce PFAS exposure from drinking water. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Drinking Water Program Manager, Ron Falco, says the department is currently working with drinking water systems to help them with testing efforts as part of the CDPHE's PFAS Grant Program. To see if your water system participated and what levels were found, click here and look for your water utility in the drop down menu. The state-assisted testing in 2020 was only voluntary, and not every water system in Colorado participated. More water systems in Colorado could also have unsafe levels, but remain unaware, because testing has not previously been a requirement. When those levels were released, CBS News Colorado found more than 100 water systems that participated in the 2020 state testing discovered levels exceeding those guidelines. These new levels proposed are higher than the health advisory guidelines announced last summer for PFOA and PFOS. So, anything we can do to minimize people's exposure is a really important thing."Ī CBS News Colorado analysis of state testing records shows in 2020, 40 public water utilities in Colorado had levels of both PFOS and PFOS at or above 4 parts per trillion. "You can take a sample of anyone's blood and measure these chemicals in there, and there have been concerns about long-term effects. "We understand that these chemicals are present in all of us," Higgins said. It would also require water systems to regularly test and notify the public of any exceedances. The EPA's proposal sets hazard standards for four PFAS compounds and would require levels of two other PFAS compounds - PFOA and PFOS - to be below 4 parts per trillion in public drinking water. ![]() "The reality is these compounds have been used in so many different products over so many years, they are in pretty much everything, but the question is, what is a meaningful exposure? By the EPA proposing a new standard, they've said, 'this is what we think is reasonable in terms of safety, and if people can have water below this, we think this will have minimal risk.'" CBS News Colorado reporter Kati Weis interviews Dr. ![]() Christopher Higgins, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the Colorado School of Mines who has been studying PFAS for years. "I think it's a very important first step," said Dr. ![]() The proposed changes could affect dozens of public water utilities across the Centennial State.Ĭommonly referred to as "forever chemicals," because of their strong chemical makeup and difficulty breaking down in the environment, long-term exposure to PFAS is linked to health issues in humans, including birth defects and cancer. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing national legal limits on per- and polyflouroalkyl substances - or PFAS - in public water supplies. ![]()
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